PSG crowned Ligue 1 champions as second-placed Lille held by Toulouse

Paris Saint Germain have won the Ligue 1 title for the second successive season after second-place Lille failed to beat Toulouse.

PSG’s closest challengers failed to follow up on the 5-1 hammering they dished out when the two sides met last Sunday on what had been all set up to be a title celebration.

Instead, the team crumbled to their biggest defeat since their Qatari owners took over the club, and were beaten again away at Nantes on Wednesday.

But the celebrations were only delayed a matter of days, as Lille’s goalless draw at Toulouse meant they are now unable to catch their illustrious rivals, and the title has returned to the capital.

PSG have now won six of the last seven Ligue 1 titles, having lifted the crown only twice in their history prior to the arrival of Qatar Sports Investments in 2011.

France sensation Kylian Mbappe stood out as the star of the season, netting an incredible 27 goals to date to lead his side in the scoring stakes. 

The 20-year-old World Cup winner renewed his place in a lethal attacking trio including Edinson Cavani and Neymar, who added 17 and 13 goals each to the title challenge despite seeing their seasons curtailed by injury problems.

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This latest success also marks the first trophy for Thomas Tuchel, who took over from Unai Emery at the start of the current campaign. 

Tuchel, however, followed in the footsteps of his predecessors by failing to deliver much-desired success at European level as their Champions League bid ended once more at the last-16 stage. 

PSG had looked set to advance after downing Manchester United 2-0 at Old Trafford, only to see the Reds charge back with a 3-1 win in Paris to send the French giants packing. 

That meant the Ligue 1 title was the bare minimum expected from 2018-19, and after looking so imperious throughout the season PSG stumbled to eventual victory.

The team had only dropped nine points all season prior to last Sunday’s collapse, but with the finishing line in sight they were beaten twice in a matter of days as Nantes inflicted a 3-2 defeat on Tuchel's men midweek.

Despite those setbacks, though, the fate of the title was never really in doubt and is now confirmed as PSG reasserted their domestic dominance.

But with such astronomical funds invested in the Parisian squad, the real challenge is still success in Europe, a goal that has remained out of reach.