Paris (AFP) – Reims clinched promotion back to Ligue 1 on Friday, ending a two-year absence from the top tier of French football.

A 1-0 win at home to fellow promotion hopefuls Ajaccio, while second-placed Nimes dropped points, confirmed the club from Champagne country as Ligue 2 champions.

Six times French champions in a glorious post-war era, when they also twice reached the European Cup final — losing to Real Madrid in 1956 and 1959 — Reims spent four consecutive seasons in Ligue 1 before being relegated in 2016.