Gideon Mensah and AJ Auxerre suffer relegation from French Ligue 1

STRASBOURG, FRANCE – MARCH 19: Gideon Mensah of Auxerre in action during the Ligue 1 match between RC Strasbourg and AJ Auxerre at Stade de la Meinau on March 19, 2023 in Strasbourg, France. (Photo by Marcio Machado/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)

Ghana international defender Gideon Mensah and his team AJ Auxerre have been relegated from the French Ligue 1 after a home defeat on Saturday night.

Auxerre saw their top flight spell come to an end when they lost 3-1 to RC Lens at the Stade de l’Abbé-Deschamps in the last league match of the season.

Mensah lasted the entire duration of the match, making it his 26th appearance for Auxerre in the French Ligue 1 this campaign.

Forward Alexis Claude-Maurice scored the opening goal of the match in the 19th minute to give the visitors the lead.

Claude-Maurice scored again to double the advantage for Lens three minutes into the second half.

Senegalese forward Mbaye Niang pulled one back for Auxerre when he found the back of the net in the 71st minute.

Belgium forward Lois Openda scored a few moments later to seal the victory for Lens, who finished second behind champions PSG.

Auxerre finished 17th on the league standings with 35 points from 38 matches, which wasn’t enough to secure Ligue 1 status for the next season.

Black Stars midfielder Salis Abdul Samed featured for Lens and played the entire minutes of the match.

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