Nigerian John Utaka Secures Montpellier's First Ever Ligue 1 Title

John Utaka scored on each side of halftime as Montpellier overcame two long delays to edge Auxerre, 2-1, on Sunday at the Stade de l'Abbe-Deschamps to claim its first-ever Ligue 1 title.


Olivier Kapo scored in the 20th minute as last-place and relegated Auxerre put the title in doubt, but Utaka tied the game in the 31st minute and secured the win in the 78th minute.

Montpellier entered the final day of the season in need of a just a point, but finished off a surprise title season in style, despite two delays to the match because of fans throwing objects on the field.


The second delay came midway through the second half, but Montpellier returned to the pitch and scored the winner when Utaka converted to the bottom right to seal Montpellier's 25th win of the season and the title.


PSG could have caught Montpellier on the final day as it edged Lorient, but Montpellier, a club that just moved up to Ligue 1 a few seasons ago, was not to be denied.