Rene Girard has guided Montpellier to their first-ever Ligue 1 crown, securing it on Sunday evening as they defeated Auxerre 2-1 at the Stade Abbe-Deschamps despite the match being temporarily hated due to crowd trouble.
A John Utaka double either side of the interval secured the crown for la Paillade on the final weekend of Championnat action, squeezing out big-spending Paris Saint-Germain, who have had to settle for second place behind the Languedoc-Roussillon outfit.
Montpellier knew that even a point against relegated Auxerre would be enough to claim their maiden title, though had they lost, that would have opened the door for Carlo Ancelotti’s men, who ran out 2-1 victors in Lorient, to claim first place.
Both sides have secured automatic qualification to the group stages of next season's Champions League, and PSG will doubtless make great efforts in the transfer window to secure next term’s title.
Girard, meanwhile, will doubtless be realistic about Montpellier’s hopes for next season and will first and foremost try to secure the futures of many of his star men over the summer, with Younes Belhanda, Olivier Giroud and Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa having attracted great interest over the last year due to their outstanding performances for the underdogs from the Stade de la Mosson.
Montpellier claim the crown from Lille, who finished third this term, and become the fifth different side in as many years to become French champions.
The Hexagoal trophy will be presented to the team on Monday.
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