Strasbourg 1 - 3 AS Nancy Lorraine

Strasbourg 1-3 AS Nancy Lorraine

Updated: April 30, 2006, 6:37 PM UK

STRASBOURG, April 30 (Ligue 1) - Strasbourg have been relegated from French football's top flight after slumping to a poor 3-1 defeat at home to Coupe de la Ligue winners Nancy.

The Alsatians started brightly and took the lead just after the quarter-hour through Amara Diane, much to the delight of the home support inside the Stade Meinau.

But a hat-trick from Eli Kroupi before half-time swung the game firmly in the favour of the visitors, securing a third successive victory for a club very much finding its form as the season draws to a close.

Nancy started brightly and carved out their first goalscoring chance after nine minutes, striker Kim coming close with a powerful shot that flashed just wide of Stephane Cassard's goal.

But despite the visitors enjoying a bright opening, first blood went the way of Strasbourg after 16 minutes.

Midfielder Pontus Farnerud was the architect, feeding the ball to Pascal Johansen who nodded down for Diane to slot home from close range.

Four minutes later, however, Nancy drew level.

Emmanuel Duchemin was instrumental in the build-up, splitting the home defence with a great pass for Kroupi, who made no mistake with the finish.

And it got even better for the visitors after 24 minutes, this time Emmanuel Duchemin playing the decisive pass for Kroupi, who found the back of the net with an unstoppable shot.

And Kroupi's 12-minute hat-trick was completed from the spot just after the half-hour mark.

Strasbourg's Jean-Christophe Devaux was penalised for a foul on Kim in the area, paving the way for Kroupi to blast home beyond the beleaguered Cassard.

Kroupi might even have made it four before the break, but his long-range effort was comfortably dealt with by the keeper, while a minute after the restart the Ivory Coast international was at it again, Cassard again forced into the stop.

Strasbourg, perhaps resigned to their fate, began to play a little better as the second period progressed, and midfielder Yacine Abdessadki was unlucky not to find the target with a good header after 49 minutes.

Sidi Yaya Keita and substitute Rudy Carlier both went close for Strasbourg as full-time approached, but there was to be no fairytale fightback, and the easterners bowed out of Ligue 1 with something of a whimper at the hands of a Nancy team that showed no sign of any hangover after their epic win at the Stade de France last weekend.