Ligue 1 Review Gameweek 32

 

In the weekend where Troyes’ relegation was confirmed and the race for the Champions League heated up, there were 31 goals scored in Ligue 1.

Monaco 1-2 Bordeaux

Monaco made a big slip-up on Friday as they lost to Bordeaux on home turf, giving the sides below them an opportunity to reduce the gap to 2^nd place. The win for the visitors however means they have moved up to 12^th and after going nine points clear of the bottom three, they may just have done enough to remain safe. Thomas Toure opened the scoring in first half stoppage time; he was left unmarked at the back post from a corner to finish comfortably.

A similar situation occurred in the second period when Adam Ounas was given a free run at the ball to double Les Girondins’ lead from another corner. Late pressure from Monaco forced an error from Bordeaux when Cedric Yambere conceded a penalty with a foul on Guido Carrillo. Vagner Love saw his spot-kick saved by Jerome Prior however and although he found the net with a rebound, the referee awarded a free-kick in Bordeaux’s favour. Monaco did eventually pull a goal back; Prior saved a Carrillo header but the ball hit Frederic Guilbert’s knee before finding the back of the Bordeaux net. Les Girondins held onto the win to make it three wins against Monaco this season.

Paris Saint-Germain 4-1 Nice

Nice’s Champions League challenge suffered a blow at the Parc des Princes as they were heavily defeated by PSG, thanks to a Zlatan Ibrahimovic hat-trick. Just a quarter of an hour had past when the champions took the lead. Ibrahimovic took down a pass from David Luiz well before firing the ball home. Les Aiglons responded quickly however through their own talisman; Hatem Ben Arfa cut inside from the wing before unleashing a strike that found the top corner with the help of a deflection. The Ibrahimovic show continued in the 34^th-minute when he scored a trademark free-kick after Lucas Moura was fouled on the edge of the box.

The game was settled shortly after the second half got underway when a Hervin Ongenda corner was met by Luiz to make it 3-1 to Les Parisians. After both goalkeepers prevented further goals being scored, Ibrahimovic put the cherry on the cake for PSG inside the final ten minutes. The Swedish striker was played through by Adrien Rabiot and made no mistake in a one-on-one situation, slotting the ball past Yoann Cardinale to score his 30^th goal of the season. PSG’s victory took them to 80 points for the season, while Nice dropped to 5^th after failing to capitalise on Monaco dropping points.

Gazélec Ajaccio 0-2 Saint-Étienne

Saint-Étienne kept themselves in the race for a place amongst Europe’s elite next season with a win at the Stade Ange Casanova. Les Verts set the pace early on and gave themselves a half-time lead due to Nolan Roux’s goal in the 14^th-minute after a fine counter-attack. Stephane Ruffier was on top form, denying Gazélec’s Jacques Zoua and Damjan Djokovic in the first half to maintain his team’s lead.

The visitors had to wait until shortly before the hour mark to strengthen their lead and put the game beyond Gazélec; Kevin Theophile-Catherine pounced on a loose ball following a corner to make it 2-0 and seal the three points. Back-to-back wins ensured Saint-Étienne moved up to 6^th, whereas Gazélec can be thankful that Reims failed to win, meaning they remain 18^th and in touch with safety.

Guingamp 2-2 Montpellier

Relegation threatened Montpellier had to show a real strength of character as they came from behind twice to rescue a point at Guingamp. The hosts remain 15^th, two points above their opposition in 16^th and a win for either side would have given them some breathing space from the bottom three. Guingamp only needed five minutes to break the deadlock and Yannis Salibur did so in exquisite fashion, scoring from range.

Morgan Sanson was in form for La Paillade and scored an equaliser later in the first half; he pounced on a poor header before rifling the ball home from just inside the area. The home side began the second half as they started the first, scoring inside two minutes of the restart as Jeremy Sorbon restored Guingamp’s lead. Montpellier’s man of the match was on target once again six minutes later; Sanson leveled the scores after converting Ryad Boudebouz’s cross.

Rennes 3-1 Reims

Rennes came out on top in this game to keep their pursuit of a place in next season’s Champions League intact, whereas Reims are no closer to danger but are falling behind the teams above them in the relegation battle. The outcome of the game was apparent within the opening 15 minutes as Rennes sailed into a 2-0 lead. Kamil Grosicki scored the opener before turning provider, setting up Ousmane Dembele for another Ligue 1 goal.

Benoit Costil made a costly mistake in the second half, allowing Reims to pull a goal back through Aissa Mandi to set up a tense finish. This goal turned out to be nothing more than a consolation however as Dembele added his second of the game to secure the victory; the young prodigy cut in from the right wing to fire a composed finish into the bottom left corner. A Gazélec loss meant Reims remained outside the bottom three in 17^th, while Rennes are flying after moving up to 4^th, closing the gap on Monaco to just four points.

Toulouse 2-0 Caen

A surprise victory for Toulouse gave them a bit of hope in their bid for Ligue 1 survival as they comfortably beat Caen at the Stadium Municipal. Les Pitchouns moved to within four points of safety in 19^th, whereas Caen fell to 8^th and their hopes of securing a shock European place is now under threat.

Toulouse were handed a gift of an opener when Ronny Rodelin scored an own goal to give the hosts an early lead. Alban Lafont kept the scores level as he prevented Andy Delort from scoring an equaliser. The Toulouse win was sealed shortly before the game was up; the skipper Martin Braithwaite was assisted by Pantxi Sirieix and converted the chance to earn a huge three points for Les Pitchouns.

Troyes 0-1 Angers

It had been expected for a long time but Troyes’ relegation from Ligue 1 was confirmed as they suffered a narrow defeat at home to Angers. It came in harsh fashion as the hosts kept Angers at bay for the duration of the game but were dealt with a cruel blow in second half stoppage time.

Troyes controlled the second half but were unable to make any of their chances count. Alexandre Letellier kept Stephane Darbion out on two occasions and Romain Saiss cleared Karim Azamoum’s attempt off the line. The home side were made to pay in the 92^nd-minute when substitute Charles Diers reacted quickly after a goalmouth scramble. Troyes’ campaign may be over but Angers are still within three points of the European spots as they sit 9^th going into the next round of fixtures.

Nantes 0-3 Lille

It looks as though Lille’s season has peaked at the right time as they are fighting for a spot in the top six. Their fourth successive win takes them to 7^th and just two points outside of the European places, whereas Nantes drop to 10^th after suffering back-to-back defeats. Eder was the star man for Les Dogues once again and he put Lille in front after 18 minutes, taking the ball from Rony Lopes before slotting home the opener.

The visitors doubled their lead just short of the hour mark; Eder went from goal scorer to provider to set up Stoppila Sunzu who headed in the second goal of the game. Lille dominated the game throughout and gave Les Canaris very few opportunities to make their mark on the match. The rout was complete just before the final whistle when Eder scored again, making the most of Junior Tallo’s cross to add a third and cap a fine Lille performance.

Bastia 2-1 Marseille

Marseille’s hopes of a top six finish look all but over as they were defeated by Bastia at the Stade Armand Cesari. If Les Olympiens were going to challenge for a European spot they had to beat Bastia; despite keeping the hosts out in the first half, they fell behind two minutes into the second. Bastia’s Francois Kamano delivered a teasing cross into the Marseille box and Karim Rekik could only turn the ball into his own net.

The momentum was with Marseille and they swiftly added a second to sink Marseille. Steve Mandanda brought down Kamano in the penalty area to give Bastia a chance to double their lead from the spot; a chance Gael Danic took full advantage of. Michy Batshuayi scored another excellent solo goal to give his side hope of a comeback with 13 minutes to go, but Romain Alessandrini’s dismissal five minutes from time made it very difficult for the Olympians. Marseille fall to 13^th, four points behind Bastia who are 11^th and now almost certainly safe from the relegation threat.

Lorient 1-3 Lyon

Lyon took advantage of Monaco’s mistake by beating Lorient in the final match of the weekend. Les Gones have now gone five games without defeat, climbing up to 3^rd and closing the gap on their rivals to a mere three points. Lorient on the other hand, remain 14^th and just six points above the drop zone. The visitors had to come from behind as Les Merlus took the lead through Majeed Waris after he was picked out by Maxime Barthelme.

The visitors eventually found their feet and struck back through their main man, Alexandre Lacazette. The Frenchman found the top corner with a crisp strike to equalise for Lyon. It took Lyon until the final ten minutes to make a mark on the game; Mathieu Valbuena came on as a substitute to tee up Rachid Ghezzal to put his side ahead and add another goal to his season’s tally. The match was settled just three minutes later when Ghezzal was involved once more, assisting Lacazette to make the win even more emphatic.