Ligue 1 Review Gameweek 6

 

 

Guingamp 2-1 Gazélec Ajaccio

Fellow struggling side Gazélec have had to deal with another disappointing result, despite scoring their first Ligue 1 goal at Guingamp. Five successive defeats for the visitors means they are still rooted to the bottom of the league and are drifting further away from safety as the weeks go by. Guingamp are now flying in 8^th after three wins in a row but this was a much needed win as they face a tough test against PSG midweek.

Sloan Privat put the hosts ahead after an impressive assist from Jimmy Briand but Gazélec fought back and levelled the game through a Kader Mangane volley. The visitors once again made it difficult for themselves when Issiaga Sylla was dismissed for a second bookable offence just before half-time. Briand then got on the score sheet himself when he put Guingamp 2-1 ahead with an acrobatic finish; sealing the win.

 

Bordeaux 1-1 Toulouse

In a game that both sides could have done with winning, it ended in a draw at the Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux. Toulouse will be disappointed not to come away with a victory after taking the lead and nearly seeing out the whole game. Adrien Regattin made it 1-0 to the visitors with a 23^rd-minute effort but Oscar Trejo cost his team the three points when a challenge on Bordeaux’s Clement Chantome saw him sent off with a quarter of an hour left to play.

Les Girondins equalised with one minute of regulation time left to play when Wahbi Khazri set up substitute Enzo Crivelli to equalise and salvage a point for his team. Toulouse are still 17^th after this match and have slightly got away from the bottom three, while Bordeaux have moved up to 13^th in the table.

 

Monaco 2-3 Lorient

Monaco have followed up their Europa League draw with Anderlecht with a home defeat to Lorient in the league; both second-rate results for Les Rouges et Blancs. It was a very shaky start for the home side and they found themselves two goals behind after just 18 minutes; Ibrahim N’Dong’s fierce strike and Benjamin Jeannot’s finish putting Lorient 2-0 up.

The hosts did get themselves back in the game eventually with Almamy Toure’s header in the 21^st-minute and new signing Thomas Lemar’s free-kick in the 47^th levelling the score. Despite letting a two-goal lead slip, Lorient were patient and persistent in their build-up play and got their reward on the hour mark when Benjamin Moukandjo slotted the winner past Danijel Subasic. Lorient have now moved up to 10^th after turning their form around following two consecutive draws, two consecutive losses and now two consecutive victories in the first six games. Monaco however have dropped to 11^th and once again fail to put back-to-back victories together.

 

Saint-Étienne 2-0 Nantes

A third successive defeat for Nantes has seen them fall to 16^th in the league, whereas Saint-Étienne are now 3^rd and have closed the gap on PSG to one point after four successive wins. Jonathan Bamba scored with his first goal for Les Verts to put the hosts ahead after beating a defender and then the goalkeeper with a calm finish.

Nantes had very few clear-cut chances and were spared an embarrassing scoreline after Saint-Étienne couldn’t score more goals. Robert Beric made it 2-0 and secured the victory in the 47^th-minute, but near misses from Bamba and Valentin Eysseric meant the home side could score any more than two to boost their goal difference.

 

Marseille 1-1 Lyon

The final match of the weekend saw a draw at the Stade Vélodrome between Marseille and Lyon; two sides that have failed to find a consistent run of form in Ligue 1 this season. It was an interesting encounter between the two teams despite a lack of chances and goal scoring opportunities. Marseille could have taken the lead in the game but Romain Alessandrini failed to take his chance and they were made to pay when Alexandre Lacazette won and converted a penalty after he was brought down by Steve Mandanda in the 25^th-minute. Lacazette could have scored a second when he found himself unmarked in the area, only to see his effort come back off the post.

Alessandrini made things difficult for his team when a reckless challenge on Mathieu Valbuena earned him a straight red card with minutes of the first half remaining. With about an hour played referee Ruddy Buquet had to stop play after missiles and objects were hurled from the home crowd at the opposing players, leading to a 20-minute delay in the game. Marseille came out of the tunnel livelier and levelled through a Karim Rekik header mid-way through the second half. Although both sides had chances to win the game, a draw leaves both sides content as Lyon are 9^th in the league and Marseille sit 12^th; ready for the upcoming mid-week matches.