Ligue 1 Review Gameweek 22

 

There were plenty of goals in the latest round of Ligue 1 matches with an emphatic victory for Marseille and a last minute winner for Dijon being amongst the highlights.

 

Friday 27 January

Marseille 5-1 Montpellier Venue – Stade Vélodrome

A Bafetimbi Gomis hat-trick helped Marseille to a 5-1 win over Montpellier in the opening game of the weekend.

The Frenchman opened the scoring after four minutes, firing the ball home after a knock down from Remy Cabella. Another combination between the two led to Les Olympiens’ second in the 19^th-minute; Cabella’s headed cross was met by Gomis in the centre of the box to double the lead.

Jorge Rolando added a third with a header to ensure Marseille had a three-goal lead at the break, but Montpellier offered hope to their travelling supporters with a Ryad Boudebouz goal from a free-kick shortly after the restart.

Gomis completed his hat-trick in the 77^th-minute, before William Remy was dismissed for the visitors after conceding a penalty, allowing Florian Thauvin to score a fifth from the spot.

The win took Marseille up to 6^th, while a third loss in four matches left Montpellier 15^th.

 

Saturday 28 January

Lyon 1-2 Lille Venue – Stade des Lumieres

Lyon were stunned on home turf when a Yassine Benzia brace was enough for Lille to secure the victory at the Stade des Lumieres.

The opener came in the 38^th-minute when Benzia’s strike from outside the penalty area put Lille ahead, but the main action didn’t arrive until the latter stages.

After Sebastien Corchia was brought down by Mathieu Valbuena in the box, Benzia stepped up to score the penalty and double Les Dogues’ lead in the 80^th-minute. Lyon were awarded a lifeline, also from the spot, which Alexandre Lacazette converted after drawing the initial foul from Adama Soumaoro.

It was another major hit to Lyon’s title hopes as they sit 4^th in the table, while Lille moved up to 11^th and gave themselves some freedom from the threat of the bottom three.

Angers 2-1 Metz Venue – Stade Jean Bouin

Nine-man Metz were the masters of their own downfall at the Stade Jean Bouin as they were on the end of a defeat to Angers on Saturday.

Flavien Tait broke the deadlock midway through the first period when he scored a free-kick for Angers, but Metz were back on level terms within eight minutes through an Ismael Traore own goal.

The match turned on its head quickly again when a Nicolas Pepe goal re-established Angers’ lead, before Metz were reduced to ten men when Renaud Cohade was given his marching orders for violent conduct. Any signs of a comeback soon diminished as Fallou Diagne was also dismissed to leave the visitors with just nine players on the field.

Angers ended a disastrous winless run and climbed out of the relegation zone to 16^th, overtaking Metz who drop to 19^th.

Bastia 1-1 Caen Venue – Stade Armand Cesari

A bottom of the table clash between Bastia and Caen ended with a result that benefited neither side as they drew at the Stade Armand Cesari.

Both goals came in the first half but it was Bastia who drew first blood; Allan Saint-Maximin was played in by Mehdi Mostefa before unleashing a shot into the bottom corner.

It looked as though the hosts would be heading into the break with the lead but Lindsay Rose fouled Julien Feret in the box on the stroke of half-time and Ronny Rodelin scored the resulting spot-kick.

The point left the two sides 17^th and 18^th in the league standings respectively.

Lorient 2-3 Dijon Venue – Stade du Moustoir

A five-goal thriller favoured Dijon at the Stade du Moustoir as they scored a last gasp winner to beat Lorient.

The visitors took the lead in the 10^th-minute through Lois Diony and maintained their lead until the second half. A Sylvain Marveaux strike five minutes after the restart saw Lorient level the scores, before they took the lead from the spot. Adam Lang brought down Majeed Waris and the Ghanaian dusted himself down before converting the penalty.

Lorient’s lead lasted no more than ten minutes as Jordan Loties equalised for Dijon with an effort from close range. Just as it looked as though the teams were going to share the points, Pierre Lees-Melou found the net to steal all three for Dijon in the 93^rd-minute.

Heartbreak for Lorient means they remain bottom of the table and are now four points from safety, whereas Dijon are temporarily safe in 13^th.

 

Nancy 0-2 Bordeaux Venue – Stade Marcel Picot

A routine win for Bordeaux saw them 7^th in the table, ending the hosts’ four-game unbeaten run to leave them 14^th.

There was a long wait for the opening goal and Les Girondins found themselves ahead in fortuitous circumstances. An own goal from Joffrey Cuffaut handed Bordeaux the advantage.

Malcom then settled the game in the latter stages with a fine free-kick, finding the top corner to put the match beyond doubt.

Rennes 1-1 Nantes Venue – Roazhon Park

A late equaliser salvaged a point for Rennes at Roazhon Park to deny Nantes a victory.

It was nearly a goalless first half but Les Canaris capitalised on the stroke of half-time; Jules Iloki’s shot from close range gave Nantes the lead going into the second period.

With four minutes of regulation time remaining, Joris Gnagnon popped up to head home the Rennes leveller following a set piece, earning a last gasp result for the home side.

Just four points still separate the two sides in the Ligue 1 table, with Rennes having the upper hand in 9^th over Nantes in 12^th.

 

Sunday 29 January

Nice 3-1 Guingamp Venue – Allianz Riviera

Sunday’s opening game began with Nice getting back to winning ways against Guingamp at the Allianz Riviera.

It took just 11 minutes for Les Aiglons to set the pace of the game as Alassane Plea opened the scoring with an effort close to the goal. The lead was doubled shortly before the break when Jean Michael Seri found the back of the net from inside the area.

There was hope for Guingamp as Jimmy Briand pulled a goal back after being released by Nill De Pauw, setting up a tense finish to the game.

The points were sealed for Nice in the 87^th-minute and Mario Balotelli was back on the score sheet, converting Arnaud Souquet’s through ball.

Guingamp’s third consecutive game without a win saw them slip to 8^th, while Nice were relying on PSG to beat Monaco to keep them in top spot.

Toulouse 0-3 Saint-Étienne Venue – Stadium Municipal

Saint-Étienne climbed up to 5^th in the league standings after a comfortable win at Toulouse, leaving their opponents 10^th following four straight defeats.

Les Verts took the lead after just nine minutes when Nolan Roux scored from the penalty spot, after Alban Lafont brought down Romain Hamouma.

The match was made difficult for Toulouse when Somalia was sent off for a reckless challenge on Jordan Veretout just after the second half restart. It took Saint-Étienne eight minutes to take advantage with the extra man; Florentin Pogba’s cross was met by Kevin Monnet-Paquet with a header to double their lead.

Toulouse were at fault once again midway through the second period as Kelvin Abdou conceded their second penalty; won again by Hamouma. Roux stepped up once more and scored the third to seal the victory.

Paris Saint-Germain 1-1 Monaco Venue – Parc des Princes

The top of the table clash between PSG and Monaco needed a late penalty to make the match interesting, with Monaco scoring an equaliser on the stroke of full-time to rescue a point.

Only half-chances were created in the first half due to the well-structured defences of both sides. Fabinho forced a great save from Kevin Trapp and Edinson Cavani couldn’t make the best of Thomas Meunier’s delivery later in the half.

Les Parisians made the breakthrough in the 81^st-minute when a clumsy tackle from Djibril Sidibe brought down Julian Draxler to concede a penalty. Cavani made no mistake with the spot-kick to put PSG in front. It looked as though it was enough for the three points but Bernardo Silva’s shot from range in the 92^nd-minute beat an unsighted Alphonse Areola.

Despite Monaco claiming top spot once again, the result was beneficial for Nice, with PSG remaining three points behind in 3^rd place.