Ligue 1 Review Gameweek 27

Not all 20 teams featured in the latest round of Ligue 1 fixtures, but there was plenty of action at both ends of the table.

Bordeaux 0-0 Nice

Neither Bordeaux nor Nice could break the deadlock and make a mark on the European spots as they met at the Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux on Friday. Les Aiglons dominated the possession but it was the hosts who forced more chances. Cheick Diabate missed by a small margin with a header before Thomas Toure struck the post.

Les Girondins continued to create opportunities in the second half; Diabate and Cedric Yambere went close, while Jean Seri failed to take advantage at the other end for Nice. This result leaves Nice still in 3^rd place, while Bordeaux are down in 10^th.

Paris Saint-Germain 4-1 Reims

A strong performance from Les Parisians’ talisman Zlatan Ibrahimovic guided the hosts to another emphatic victory, this time over Reims. PSG took the lead after just 12 minutes when Ibrahimovic played in Gregory van der Wiel who finished to make it 1-0. They were pegged back later in the first half however as Prince Oniangue scored a surprising equaliser. Angel Di Maria was forced off with an injury, but it didn’t affect PSG as they began to assert their dominance.

Ibrahimovic scored his first of the game, before setting up Edinson Cavani to give PSG a 3-1 lead going into the break. The Swedish international was on hand once again to add a fourth with a volley, ending a tough evening for Johann Carrasso and the Reims defence. PSG take their points tally to 73 at the top of Ligue 1, while Reims remain just one point above the bottom three in 17^th.

Angers 3-2 Montpellier

Montpellier made a huge step towards avoiding relegation with a victory at Angers, but they were made to work hard for what should have been a comfortable win. An incredible start for the visitors gave them a 3-0 lead at half-time. Kevin Berigaud scored the first within two minutes, and Moustapha Yatabare doubled the lead before ten minutes were on the clock. The perfect first half was completed for Montpellier shortly before the break; Souleymane Camara headed in a third to put the game out of reach for Angers.

The home side did nearly manage to stage a comeback however, Bouka Moutou scored Angers’ first goal of the game, showing great reactions after Billy Ketkeophomphone’s effort came back off the woodwork. Goran Karanovic added another to worry the visitors, but there was to be no comeback as Montpellier held on for a big win. They move up to 15^th after back-to-back wins, while Angers’ fourth consecutive defeat sees them in 9^th.

Bastia P-P Nantes

The match between Bastia and Nantes was postponed after violent protests between fans and the police in the Corsican city.

This match will now be played on Wednesday 9^th March.

Lorient 4-3 Guingamp

Another high scoring game took place at the Stade du Moustoir where Guingamp were narrowly beaten by Lorient. It was actually the visitors who started the better of the two, going two goals up thanks to Yannis Salibur. Les Merlus then got themselves sorted and began to take control of the match. Jimmy Cabot’s effort found the net with a little help from Majeed Waris, before Benjamin Jeannot leveled the scores just after half-time.

Guingamp heads had already dropped when Lorient added a third goal to take the lead; Waris getting his second of the game. The visitors managed to switch the momentum once again when they equalised through Jimmy Briand, but the away side’s hopes of a result were dashed in injury time. Raphael Guerreiro struck a neat free-kick with very little time remaining to take all three points for Lorient. This leaves the hosts in 13^th, with Guingamp three points behind in 16^th.

Monaco 3-1 Troyes

Bottom of the league Troyes put up a fight at the Stade Louis II, but it wasn’t enough to get a result against Monaco, who gave themselves some breathing space in 2^nd place. The visitors should have taken their chances in the early stages, but Karim Azamoum missed the target and Chaouki Ben Saada was denied by Danijel Subasic on two occasions. This pressure counted for nothing as Monaco took the lead through Guido Carrillo.

Carrillo was on target once again shortly before the end of the first period; a back post header from Andrea Raggi’s cross was his and Monaco’s second goal of the game. Babacar Gueye pulled a goal back for Troyes, but any hope of a comeback vanished when Kylian Mbappe Lottin scored his first Ligue 1 goal to seal the victory.

Toulouse 1-1 Gazélec Ajaccio

The must-win game between Toulouse and Gazélec ended in a stalemate, but the visitors will be very disheartened after being reduced to ten men and conceding late on. Gazélec’s first clear-cut chance resulted in a goal; Kevin Mayi showed speedy reactions to convert after Issiaga Sylla was denied.

They were then handed a blow when Sylla was dismissed for a second bookable offence; a decision that turned the game on its head. Martin Braithwaite equalised with the game nearly up to break Gazélec hearts. The late leveller means there is no change in the bottom three; Gazélec remain 18^th and Toulouse just below in 19^th.

Marseille 1-1 Saint-Étienne

A similar match came at the Stade Vélodrome where ten-man Marseille equalised late to deny Saint-Étienne a win. Les Olympiens were forced to play the last half an hour with a man short, after Nicolas N’Koulou’s poor challenge on Vincent Pajot earned him a red card.

It looked as though Les Verts were going to take all three points when Kevin Monnet-Paquet gave his side the lead in the 85^th-minute. This wasn’t the case though as Marseille hit back four minutes into stoppage time. Romain Alessandrini’s free-kick found Michy Batshuayi to head home a very late equaliser, scoring his 16^th goal of the season to rescue a point for the hosts. This leaves Marseille in 11^th and Saint-Étienne in 4^th, no real change for either side.

Caen 1-0 Rennes

Caen were able to end their three-match losing streak with a home victory against Rennes on Sunday to put them back in contention for a European spot. The home side dominated the game; Benoit Costil was in form in the Rennes goal, denying Caen from scoring on multiple occasions.

He couldn’t keep out Saidi Ntibazonkiza though, who fired the home side in front in the 54^th-minute. Ntibazonkiza was close to scoring a second but Costil came out on top once again; his goal proved to be the only one of the game. Caen are 7^th, just behind Nantes on goal difference but Les Canaris have a game in hand, while Rennes remain one place below Caen in 8^th.

Lille 1-0 Lyon

Lille managed to get a shock win against Lyon, which was partly due to the fact the visitors were forced to finish the game with nine men. It took Les Gones over half an hour just to have an attempt at goal; Maxwell Cornet striking an effort wide from range. Sofiane Boufal scored another crucial goal for Les Dogues as he gave the hosts the lead midway through the first half.

Lyon’s Christophe Jallet was dismissed with an hour played for a second bookable offence. They were still pressing for an equaliser even with ten men, but the game was made more difficult for them when Clement Grenier was dismissed after picking up his second yellow card of the match. Lyon are still hanging onto their place in the European spots as they are 5^th in the league standings, whereas Lille are still down in 12^th.