Ligue 1 Gameweek 7

 

It was a week of giant killings and important wins for the relegation threatened sides in the latest round of Ligue 1 action.

 

Friday 23 September

Toulouse 2-0 Paris Saint-Germain Venue – Stadium Municipal

The biggest shock of the weekend came in the first match, where champions PSG were stunned by Toulouse at the Stadium Municipal.

Les Parisians may have been slightly reserved for their midweek Champions League encounter at Ludogorets; however this was still a shock result.

The visitors were dominating possession but the game changed when Serge Aurier conceded a penalty and was dismissed for a second bookable offence after hauling down Ola Toivonen. Yann Bodiger stepped up to convert and give Toulouse a surprise lead.

PSG struggled to get a foothold in the game after Aurier’s dismissal and Toulouse wrapped up the points 11 minutes from time. Thiago Motta gave possession straight to Jimmy Durmaz and with open space to run into, capitalised by placing the ball into the bottom corner.

Pascal Dupraz’s men climb to 3^rd in the table, overtaking PSG who remain 4^th.

 

Saturday 24 September

Lorient 1-0 Lyon Venue – Stade du Moustoir

Another of the league’s elite to be shocked at the weekend was Lyon, who were defeated by bottom of the league Lorient on Saturday.

Benjamin Lecomte was one of the heroes for Les Merlus, as he prevented Lyon from breaking the deadlock on a number of occasions. He was forced to make a fine save to keep out Maciej Rybus, before doing even better to deny both Corentin Tolisso and Nabil Fekir.

All the Lyon pressure without reward came back to haunt Les Gones as the hosts took the lead. Vincent Le Goff picked out Maxime Barthelme on the left wing and the latter’s delivery was turned in by Jimmy Cabot.

Lorient move out of the relegation zone into 17^th and hope this will be the turning point in their campaign, while Lyon slip down to 9^th in the league standings.

Bastia 1-0 Guingamp Venue – Stade Armand Cesari

There was a narrow victory for Bastia at the Stade Armand Cesari this weekend, beating Guingamp as both sides finished the game with ten men.

Guingamp’s game plan took a hit shortly before half-time when Marcal was sent off after receiving a second yellow card.

It took until the 76^th-minute for the deadlock to be broken and it was Enzo Crivelli who put Bastia in front. His game when from ecstasy to misery in a matter of minutes though as he too, was handed a second yellow card and given his marching orders just three minutes later.

It was an important win for Bastia as they move up to 10^th, closing the gap on 8^th place Guingamp to just one point.

Bordeaux 0-0 Caen Venue – Nouveau Stade de Bordeaux

With the title contenders slipping up in their matches, it seems this was a missed opportunity for Bordeaux to establish some dominance as they were held to a goalless draw by Caen.

Les Girondins had the better of few chances in the game but there was very little separating the two sides. Bordeaux will feel more frustrated with the result, especially after confidently dismantling Metz earlier in the week.

Caen sit 15^th after four games without a win, whereas Bordeaux are 5^th and level on points with champions PSG.

Dijon 3-0 Rennes Venue – Stade Gaston Gérard

Dijon claimed their second win of the campaign and rose to 14^th after defeating an inconsistent Rennes, leaving the visitors 11^th in the table.

The hosts got off to a great start and were two goals ahead before the 20-minute mark. Lois Diony received the ball from Mehdi Abeid before firing the ball home after just seven minutes, before turning provider to set up Jordan Marie for the second.

Diony made sure of the win within the final quarter of an hour when Dijon led a fast break, allowing the Frenchman to score his second with a powerful finish into the roof of the net.

 

Monaco 2-1 Angers Venue – Stade Louis II

After their heavy defeat to Nice last weekend, Monaco got back on track with a victory over Angers on home soil.

The visitors had won their previous three league matches and it looked as though it could be four when Famara Diedhiou gave them the lead, stabbing home from close range after the ball was bundled into his path.

Monaco had other ideas however and forced a comeback; Kamil Glik started the fightback with a fierce strike after the Angers’ back line couldn’t clear the ball. Glik was also involved in the winner; after his header was saved by Mathieu Michel, Dickson Nwakaeme unluckily knocked the ball into his own net.

Angers currently sit 12^th in Ligue 1, while Monaco continue to chase down Nice from 2^nd spot.

Montpellier 0-1 Metz Venue – Stade de la Mosson

The form of Metz continued to surprise as they came out on top at the Stade de la Mosson on Saturday, compounding the struggles of Montpellier who haven’t won since the opening day.

It was the visitors’ star man Mevlut Erdinc who scored the winner once again, making it six in six as he converted a penalty in first half stoppage time.

Montpellier continued to push but they couldn’t find the equaliser due to a resilient Metz defence, meaning they fall to 16^th. Metz on the other hand are following in the footsteps of Angers last season who were in and around the European spots for a large amount of the season.

Sunday 25 September

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

The shock of Saint-Étienne’s victory over Lille isn’t the result; it’s where Lille are left in the table. Les Dogues are rooted to the bottom of the league after four consecutive defeats while Les Verts are 7^th after avoiding defeat for six games in a row.

All the goals came in the second half but there was a game changing moment shortly before the break when Franck Beria was sent off.

Saint-Étienne began to assert their dominance in the second period and eventually took the lead through Robert Beric just past the hour mark. The second goal was scored by 18-year-old midfielder Arnaud Nordin to put the hosts in sight of the three points.

There was a scare ten minutes from time as Renato Civelli pulled a goal back for Lille, but this proved to be nothing more than a consolation as Nolan Roux went on to add a third for Saint-Étienne with little time remaining.

Nancy 0-1 Nice Venue – Stade Marcel Picot

Nice continued their unbeaten run and are beginning to look like real title contenders as they beat Nancy at the Stade Marcel Picot on Sunday.

The first half was a fairly open one with Nancy playing a game of high pressing and trying to force a breakthrough. Les Aiglons were quick to respond in the second half though, taking the lead through Alassane Plea. He drove a well-struck shot into the bottom corner to claim his fourth goal of the season.

This was enough to earn all three points, ensuring Nice maintained their one-point advantage at the top of the table, leaving Nancy second from bottom.

Marseille 2-1 Nantes Venue – Stade Vélodrome

Marseille made certain they weren’t going to be flirting with the relegation zone as they defeated Nantes in the final match of the weekend.

Les Olympiens made it hard work for themselves as they were a goal down after just two minutes. Mariusz Stepinski was teed up by Emiliano Sala before converting from close range.

The lead lasted around 20 minutes before Clinton N’Jie lashed home the equaliser from outside the box to get Marseille back in the game. After being brought down in the area by Enock Kwateng, Bafetimbi Gomis picked himself up to complete the turnaround from the spot.

There was a worrying sign for Marseille in the latter stages when Yohann Pele struck the crossbar for Les Canaris, but the hosts held on to earn the three points and move up to 13^th place. As a result of the loss, Nantes slipped into the relegation zone in 18^th position.