Ligue 1 Review – Gameweek 2

 

The second round of Ligue 1 fixtures was complimentary to a number of sides’ defensive strengths as there were a total of seven clean sheets during the weekend.

Friday 19 August

Lyon 2-0 Caen Venue – Stade des Lumieres

Alexandre Lacazette and Lyon continued their excellent start to the campaign as Les Gones beat Caen on the league return to the Stade des Lumieres.

The French striker scored a hat-trick on the opening weekend in Nancy and he was on target from the spot on two occasions Friday evening. Ivan Santini handled the ball in the penalty area to give Lacazette an opportunity to break the deadlock on the half-hour mark; a chance the prolific forward wasn’t going to waste. He had to wait until the 96^th-minute to score his second of the game, again from the spot, after Syam Ben Youssef brought down Jordan Ferri.

Caen had chances to get back in the game before the second Lyon goal with Yann Karamoh hitting the bar, before Ronny Rodelin and Alaeddine Yahia failed to take their chances. The visitors fall to 12^th in the league standings, while another clean sheet for Anthony Lopes and a fifth Lacazette goal saw Lyon climb to the top of the table.

 

Saturday 20 August

Nantes 0-1 Monaco Venue – Stade de la Beaujoire

Leonardo Jardim’s Monaco got their first win of the season at Nantes thanks to Gabriel Boschilia scoring his first goal for the club.

The Brazilian youngster was back in Ligue 1 after spending a period on loan with Standard Liege last season. He had his first opportunity after 20 minutes when he received the ball after neat play from Joao Moutinho and Ivan Cavaleiro, but failed to keep his effort on target. Boschilia didn’t have to wait long for a second chance; less than five minutes later he atoned for his error by curling a fine strike beyond Remy Riou.

Les Canaris offered very little other than a Lucas Lima header and a Valentin Rongier that managed to test Danijel Subasic late on. Their opening weekend win is keeping them 11^th but Monaco are now up to 6^th.

Angers 0-1 Nice Venue – Stade Jean Bouin

An early goal from Alassane Plea was enough to ensure Nice maintained their 100% record in Ligue 1 this season as they saw off Angers at the Stade Jean Bouin.

It took just four minutes for Les Aiglons to open the scoring; Valentin Eysseric and Jean Seri worked well to find Plea who had an empty net to score the opener. Cheikh N’Doye came the closest for the hosts but it was always Nice that looked closer to scoring the second goal.

Lucien Favre’s side hit the woodwork twice, first through Wylan Cyprien and in the latter stages Eysseric, but they were able to get the three points and finish the weekend in 3^rd. Last season, Angers were almost unbeatable in the opening weeks of the campaign but two consecutive defeats this season means they are only 18^th.

Lille 1-0 Dijon Venue – Stade Pierre-Mauroy

Another narrow victory came at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy where Lille defeated newly promoted Dijon.

It was a harsh end to the game for the visitors as it looked like they were going to earn a point, only for Younousse Sankhare to score an 87^th-minute winner for Lille. The powerful midfielder was given time to pick his spot and fire the ball into the bottom corner after Eder crossed the ball into the area.

There were few chances created by either side and Dijon’s best effort was Julio Tavares’ header that proved meat and drink for Les Dogues’ goalkeeper. Lille recovered from their shock opening defeat to Metz as they move up to 10^th, while Dijon’s second 1-0 defeat leaves them just above the relegation zone in 17^th place.

Lorient 0-3 Bastia Venue – Stade du Moustoir

Bastia were able to comfortably beat Lorient at the Stade du Moustoir due to the hosts lack of discipline as they finished the match with nine men.

The visitors took control of the game in the 25^th-minute when Allan Saint-Maximin hit a fine strike into the top corner, but from then Lorient were the masters of their own downfall. Les Merlus were reduced to ten men when Didier Ndong was dismissed with a straight red for a tackle on Mehdi Mostefa. It didn’t take long for Bastia to increase their advantage as Enzo Crivelli headed the visitors into a 2-0 lead just eight minutes later.

Lorient’s evening took another turn for the worse when Benjamin Jeannot was also given a straight red card for dissent. Crivelli compiled their misery once again with another headed goal four minutes later to seal the victory for Bastia. The win takes them up to 7^th in the Ligue 1 standings but Lorient’s disappointing start continues as they remain all the way down in 19^th.

 

Rennes 2-0 Nancy Venue – Roazhon Park

Ligue 1 new boys Nancy remain at the foot of the table after losing their second top flight game without scoring, this time against Rennes who moved up to 9^th following this win.

Rennes’ new manager Christian Gourcuff was delighted to see his son Yoann open the scoring for the hosts after he converted Romain Danze’s pass in the 23^rd-minute.

Nancy did offer a little bit more than in their opener versus Lyon, striking the post through Anthony Koura, but their efforts still didn’t get the three points as Giovanni Sio wrapped up the victory for Rennes with a right-footed effort in the latter stages.

Toulouse 4-1 Bordeaux Venue – Stadium Municipal

After surviving the relegation dogfight last season against all odds, Toulouse look to have picked up where they left off with an emphatic victory over Bordeaux.

Two early goals and a brace from Martin Braithwaite completed one of Les Pitchouns’ best performances over the past year. Toulouse were two goals ahead within the first ten minutes of the game, with headers from Issa Diop and Christopher Jullien stunning Bordeaux.

Braithwaite then took control and put the game out of Les Girondins’ reach, making it 3-0 with a 20-yard free-kick in the 67^th-minute. He added his second of the game with eight minutes remaining to turn the game into a rout. Bordeaux did manage to pull a consolation goal back through substitute Isaac Kiese Thelin but it soon became worse again when defender Nicolas Pallois was sent off for a second bookable offence. The hit on the visitors’ goal difference leaves them 14^th in the league while Toulouse are flying high in 4^th.

 

Sunday 21 August

Guingamp 2-1 Marseille Venue – Stade du Roudourou

Marseille are still searching for their first win of the season after a loss at the Stade du Roudourou to Guingamp.

Les Olympiens had a very disappointing campaign last year and have began this one in similar form as they sit 16^th. Guingamp, however, are enjoying their start in the league as they climb to 5^th in the league table. The hosts flew out of the blocks and found the net inside the first minute of the match through Yannis Salibur; a shock Marseille never really recovered from.

Jeremy Sorbon then doubled the home side’s lead, converting Lucas Deaux’s near-post delivery. Florian Thauvin raised Marseille hopes in the 78^th-minute but there was to be no comeback from the visitors.

Saint-Étienne 3-1 Montpellier Venue – Stade Geoffroy-Guichard

Saint-Étienne were able to respond to the opening defeat against Bordeaux by winning against Montpellier, who failed to follow up the victory over Angers.

It was actually the visitors who took the lead midway through the first half. Stephane Ruffier failed to hold onto Souleymane Camara’s effort and parried it straight into the path of Steve Mounie who opened the scoring.

Les Verts were a goal down heading into the second period but it took less than a minute to get back on level terms as Kevin Monnet-Paquet levelled the scores. Christophe Galtier’s half-time team talk obviously worked as Saint-Étienne took the lead just four minutes after levelling. Ligue 1 debutant Dylan Saint-Louis scored with a header from Oussama Tannane’s free-kick after timing his run at the back post to perfection. The game was already won, but substitute Robert Beric added a third goal for Saint-Étienne in the latter stages as Les Verts climbed to 8^th in the league, overtaking Montpellier who dropped to 13^th.

Paris Saint-Germain 3-0 Metz Venue – Parc des Princes

It was another routine win at the Parc des Princes for PSG as they comfortably beat Metz.

Les Parisians continue their usual start to a Ligue 1 season with another three points and another clean sheet as they sit 2^nd, marginally behind Lyon. Metz on the other hand, drop to 15^th but will still be confident after their triumph over Lille last week.

PSG were dominant with Angel Di Maria going close on a number of occasions and Edinson Cavani feeling he should have been awarded a couple of penalties. It took until the 52^nd-minute for the hosts to break the deadlock; Lucas Moura fired home after Serge Aurier effectively started a counter-attack. Metz nearly fought back however, as Kevin Trapp was forced to deny Simon Falette and Mevlut Erdinc from equalising.

The victory was all but secured later in the second half when Layvin Kurzawa converted Di Maria’s corner with a bullet header. Metz were fortunate not to be further behind but PSG added a third in injury time when Marco Verratti’s effort was deflected into the net via Jonathan Rivierez.