Ligue 1 Review Gameweek 6

 

The sixth round of Ligue 1 football featured a number of twists and turns, predominantly in the race for the title and European spots.

 

Tuesday 20 September

Lille 1-2 Toulouse Venue – Stade Pierre-Mauroy

Lille look to be in a similar patch of struggle as last season after an Ola Toivonen brace gave Toulouse the victory at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.

The experienced Swedish forward set the ball rolling after just 12 minutes, splitting the Lille defence before breaking the deadlock. Les Dogues equalised later in the first half; Marko Basa rose highest to head home from a free-kick.

Toulouse have been enjoying a rich run of form this season and it looked guaranteed to continue as Toivonen scored his second of the game in the 78^th-minute, making the most of a quick counter attack.

Les Pitchouns’ second consecutive win guides them to 5^th in the table, whereas Lille are in a spot of bother down in 18^th.

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

PSG made it nine goals in two games as they found the net three times to see off newly promoted Dijon.

The visitors fell behind in a harsh fashion; Maxwell’s effort deflected off Adam Lang and past his own keeper. Edinson Cavani then scored his fifth goal in just two games from the spot after Adrien Rabiot was fouled in the penalty box.

Dijon did manage to respond and came close through Mehdi Abeid, who first saw his volley saved by Alphonse Areola before striking the crossbar.

Les Parisians wrapped up the points with a Lucas Moura header in the second half to move up to 2^nd, leaving Dijon in 19^th place.

 

Wednesday 21 September

Angers 2-1 Caen Venue – Stade Jean Bouin

Angers seem to have reversed their fortunes after winning their third successive Ligue 1 match, this time against Caen on home soil.

Cheikh Ndoye set up Billy Ketkeophomphone for the opener in the 12^th-minute, before turning goal scorer himself and heading in Thomas Mangani’s free-kick to double Angers’ lead.

Yann Karamoh set up a tense finish by pulling a goal back for Caen in the 71^st-minute but there was to be no comeback from the visitors. Caen have now lost three games in a row, falling to 14^th, while Angers climbed to 11^th in the league standings.

Bastia 0-0 Nancy Venue – Stade Armand Cesari

After going three games without defeat, Nancy stepped out of the relegation zone by holding Bastia to a goalless draw at the Stade Armand Cesari on Wednesday.

A combination of resilient defending and teamwork was key for the away side as Bastia threatened for the majority of the game with large spells of possession and chances.

Sadio Diallo was a constant nuisance against the Nancy defence but they remained strong to earn a point. Nancy move to 17^th in the table while Bastia remain in a good position in 12^th.

Guingamp 1-0 Lorient Venue – Stade du Roudourou

Guingamp’s terrific start to the campaign continued as they narrowly defeated a despondent Lorient.

The visitors are still rock bottom in Ligue 1 as they couldn’t follow up their victory over Lille with another win, while Guingamp are flying in 6^th place.

Les Merlus were the masters of their own downfall, conceding a 63^rd-minute penalty after Faiz Selemani fouled Fernando Marcal. Jimmy Briand stepped up and confidently secured all three points for Guingamp.

 

Lyon 5-1 Montpellier Venue – Stade des Lumieres

Lyon got back on track after a difficult spell and moved up to 7^th after beating Montpellier, leaving La Paillade 13^th and winless in five.

The visitors got off to the perfect start when they took a surprise lead after just four minutes through Morgan Sanson, but their game took a turn when Morgan Poaty was dismissed four minutes later.

Les Gones turned the game around before the break; first Nabil Fekir won and scored a penalty before Corentin Tolisso made it 2-1. Both players scored their second of the match in the second half to put the game beyond doubt. Fekir scored the third in the 57^th-minute and a well-hit shot from Tolisso on the edge of the box was enough to secure the victory.

With the game already won, Maxwel Cornet scored a deserved goal with the help of a deflection in the latter stages to complete a dominant Lyon performance.

Metz 0-3 Bordeaux Venue – Stade Saint-Symphorien

Bordeaux joined the league’s elite by winning a fourth game of the season, defeating Metz at the Stade Saint-Symphorien.

19-year-old Malcom found the net once again, his third goal of the season, to give Les Girondins the lead after 37 minutes.

Two second half goals in quick succession sealed the victory for the visitors; Gaetan Laborde doubled his side’s lead in the 71^st-minute before Kiese Thelin rounded off the performance with a goal from the penalty spot.

The three points took Bordeaux to 4^th in the league, with Metz still looking strong in 9^th position.

Nantes 0-0 Saint-Étienne Venue – Stade de la Beaujoire

Neither side could grab the winner at the Stade de la Beaujoire as Nantes and Saint-Étienne played out a goalless draw, but Les Verts will be happier with the point after playing the majority of the game with ten men.

The visitors had to make three substitutions in the opening 21 minutes after Fabien Lemoine and Florentin Pogba were forced to leave the pitch with injuries, before Kevin Malcuit was dismissed in the 17^th-minute for a foul on Alex Kacaniklic in the penalty area.

Emiliano Sala missed the opportunity to give Nantes the lead from the spot and this cost them the three points. Loic Perrin also picked up an injury early in the game, leaving Saint-Étienne with further problems.

Les Canaris are 16^th in the table after failing to win since the opening day, while Saint-Étienne are 10^th due to a five-match unbeaten run.

Nice 4-0 Monaco Venue – Allianz Riviera

The shock of the week came at the Allianz Riviera where an early title clash between Nice and Monaco ending in the thrashing of the visitors.

Paul Baysse sent Monaco on the way to their first Ligue 1 defeat of the season when he scored the opener in the 17^th-minute, heading home a Jean Michael Seri free-kick after being left unmarked.

Mario Balotelli then took centre stage once again for Les Aiglons by scoring a brace, first converting Younes Belhanda’s passes on both occasions to put Nice 3-0 ahead. Monaco’s match went from bad to worse when Tiemoue Bakayogo was sent off after bringing down Valentin Eysseric in the box. Although Alassane Plea missed the resulting spot-kick, he redeemed himself by adding a fourth moments later.

Nice now remain the only unbeaten side at the top of the league, one point above Monaco in 3^rd.

Rennes 3-2 Marseille Venue – Roazhon Park

It was another disappointing game for Marseille as they were defeated by Rennes, remaining 15^th in the league while the hosts climbed to 8^th.

Giovanni Sio opened the scoring with a fine goal; he stole possession before lobbing Yohann Pele to give Rennes the lead. Marseille weren’t behind for long as Bafetimbi Gomis equalised from the spot after Florian Thauvin was fouled by Benjamin Andre.

Les Olympiens turned the game around in the 50^th-minute when Gomis scored his second of the game, converting Clinton N’Jie’s pass. Rennes were offered a way back into the game when Marseille’s Zinedine Machach was shown two yellow cards in a ten-minute spell.

The hosts took the advantage and won the game late on; first Kamil Grosicki equalised from the spot following Tomas Hubocan’s foul on Ludovic Baal, before Adrien Hunou settled the game in the 88^th-minute with a header.