As the 25th round of fixtures in the third tier concludes, five points still separate the top five places in the league as Dunkerque’s last-gasp win over Villefranche sees them blow open the race for promotion. Once again it is only the top two sides that will be promoted to Ligue 2 this season.
Dunkerque were staring down the barrel of a 2-1 defeat to Villefranche when Rayan Ghrieb equalised in the third minute of injury time with a low finish. It got even better for Les Maritimes in the 96th minute when Yannick M’Bone rose highest from a free-kick to put the home side ahead and send the Stade Marcel-Tribut into delirium.
It was a win for the Seasiders which pushed Habib Beye’s Red Star FC down to fifth. Les Audoniens went ahead against Bourg-en-Bresse through a low finish from captain Chieck N’Doye in the second half, but some suspect defending from a corner in the 74th minute saw the home side equalise, as L’Étoile Rouge miss yet another opportunity to build momentum. They now remain four points from second place with a game in hand.
Red Star will, however, be thankful that FC Versailles did not take advantage on Monday evening against Le Mans, the pair playing out a 0-0 draw at the Stade Marie-Marvingt.
The FFF Championnat National as 20th March 2023
| Position | Club | Games Played | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Martigues | 25 | 44 |
| 2 | FC Versailles | 25 | 43 |
| 3 | Concarneau | 24 | 42 |
| 4 | Dunkerque | 25 | 40 |
| 5 | Red Star FC | 24 | 39 |
Note: only the top two teams are promoted with no play-off places due to a league restructuring.
Meanwhile Martigues continued their surprise push for double promotion as league leaders thanks to goals from Yanis Zouaoui, Mohamed Mara, with former Marseille and Real Betis man Foued Kadir getting on the scoresheet in injury time to breeze past 10th-placed Avranches (3-0). The side hailing from the suburbs of Marseille are still only one point clear at the top of the table with 44 points.
After their major slip-up last week against Châteauroux (4-2) Concarneau managed to edge past Saint-Brieuc (1-0) in a Breton derby which saw the away side go down to ten men, with the home side scoring a vital penalty through Antoine Rabillard in the 17th minute as they edge closer to Versailles with a game in hand.
GFFN | George Boxall
