Ligue 1 Review Gameweek 5

The fifth round of Ligue 1 fixtures threw up a few surprise results amongst a number of entertaining games last weekend.

Here Mark Sheppard reviews all the action from France

Paris Saint-Germain 2-2 Bordeaux

PSG may have lost their 100% record but they stretch their unbeaten run with a home draw against Bordeaux. It was a game of goalkeeping errors from Kevin Trapp and Cedric Carrasso, which prevented either side getting more than a point. Edinson Cavani put the hosts ahead with a 12^th-minute volley after Carrasso failed to collect the ball, but Trapp let Henri Saivet equalise from a corner when he was beaten at his near post.

Cavani then restored Les Parisians’ lead with a thunderous free-kick before the break; making him the league’s joint-top goal scorer with four. Saivet could have easily cost his team the game when he was dismissed for a second bookable offence in the 77^th-minute, but a moment of madness from Trapp just two minutes later ensured Bordeaux took a share of the points. Trapp received what looked like a comfortable back pass but was too hesitant, allowing Wahbi Khazri to steal the ball and place it into an empty net. PSG are still top after conceding their first goals of the season and Bordeaux sit 12^th and are unbeaten in four.

Lyon 0-0 Lille

Even with Alexandre Lacazette back from his injury, Lyon look to be lacking in front of goal without Nabil Fekir who will miss a large portion of the season. A point means Les Gones move up to 6^th in the league, with Lille still in the bottom half of the table in 13^th.

It was a match that Lyon will feel they should have won after dominating the possession and having the better of few chances. Lille have failed to score in four of their five league matches and could have taken an early lead when Adama Soumaoro saw his header saved by Anthony Lopes. Rafael could have scored for the hosts following a Mathieu Valbuena free-kick when his header hit the post and an excellent save from Vincent Enyeama kept out Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa late in the game to ensure the visitors took a point back to Lille.

Lorient 3-1 Angers

It’s taken five games but Angers have been beaten and they may feel they should have continued their run after establishing a half-time lead. Romain Saiss took his opportunity when it came in the first half, finishing in the 33^rd-minute after some complacent Lorient defending. Yann Jouffre began the hosts’ fightback just a minute after the restart when he finished at the near post after receiving Abdul Waris’ pass.

Jouffre then returned the favour in the 73^rd-minute, assisting Waris to make it 2-1 to Les Merlus. Lorient secured the victory in injury time when two substitutes combined to score the third; Romain Philippoteaux finding Benjamin Jeannot who sealed all three points for his team. Lorient’s first win of the season sees them jump out of the relegation zone at the expense of Troyes, while Angers have dropped down to 7^th in the table.

Montpellier 1-2 Saint-Étienne

Montpellier’s first goal of the season wasn’t enough to get a result as they were on the end of another home defeat. Despite a disappointing start to the season, Saint-Étienne have now moved up to 4^th in the league after their third consecutive victory. Les Verts set the pace of the game from the offset and took the lead through a Moustapha Bayal Sall goal midway through the first half.

In spite of some early second half changes from Rolland Courbis, the home side failed to make a difference and found themselves two goals down when Nolan Roux scored his first Saint-Étienne goal with just under an hour played. Joris Marveaux’s late effort was nothing more than a consolation for Montpellier, but ensured they didn’t go five games without a goal. They continue to struggle in Ligue 1 this season and a gap is developing between them and safety as they remain 19^th with just one point.

Nice 0-1 Guingamp

Guingamp’s revival of form continues as they earn back-to-back wins for the first time this season; keeping another clean sheet with a victory at the Allianz Riviera. Nice had a number of chances to take the lead with Olivier Boscagli hitting the post being the best of the opportunities.

The visitors’ resilience was rewarded in the 76^th-minute when a Youssouf Sankhare strike put Guingamp ahead after a neat pass from Jimmy Briand. The result means Guingamp have moved to 14^th in the league, just ahead of Nice in 15^th; neither of which are far away from the danger zone.