Ligue 1 Review Gameweek 23

 

Monaco came out on top in the clash with Nice, while there were big wins for Lorient and Metz at the other end of the table.

 

Friday 3 February

Metz 1-0 Marseille Venue – Stade Saint-Symphorien

A late free-kick from Yann Jouffre earned a much needed win for Metz as they beat Marseille in the weekend’s opening game.

Dimitri Payet returned to Ligue 1 action for Marseille after his transfer from West Ham United, making an appearance in the 55^th-minute from the bench. He made an instant impact; his free-kick found its way to Bafetimbi Gomis who scored, only for his goal to be ruled out for offside.

There was another scare for Metz when Payet’s cross was deflected onto the crossbar, but Jouffre’s goal eight minutes from time won the game for the hosts.

Marseille remain 6^th in the league, while Metz climbed out of the bottom three to 17^th place.

 

Saturday 4 February

Monaco 3-0 Nice Venue – Stade Louis II

Monaco extended their advantage in the title race with a comfortable victory over Nice at the Stade Louis II on Saturday.

Valere Germain opened the scoring for the hosts, converting Benjamin Mendy’s fine cross with his head to put Monaco in front.

The points were secured thanks to a brace from Radamel Falcao. A flowing team move involving Mendy, Thomas Lemar and Bernardo Silva finished with the Colombian doubling the lead on the hour. Falcao put the game beyond doubt in the 81^st-minute with an accurate left-footed effort.

Nice slipped to 3^rd, three points behind the league leaders Monaco.

Bordeaux 1-1 Rennes Venue – Nouveaux Stade de Bordeaux

Neither side could find the winner at the Nouveaux Stade de Bordeaux as Bordeaux and Rennes shared the spoils.

It was the home side that opened the scoring not long before the hour mark and it was a close range strike from Jeremy Menez that broke the deadlock for Les Girondins.

The lead lasted less than a quarter of an hour as Rennes equalised. A Ludovic Baal cross was met perfectly by Yoann Gourcuff to head home the leveller.

As a result, Bordeaux remain 7^th in the league standings, with Rennes still two points behind in 9^th.

Dijon 1-3 Paris Saint-Germain Venue – Stade Gaston Gérard

A late flourish of quality for PSG saw them overcome Dijon at the Stade Gaston Gérard, after the hosts kept the scores level for 50 minutes.

Hesitation in the Dijon box allowed Lucas Moura to capitalise and give Les Parisians the lead in the 29^th-minute, but a mistake from the visitors allowed Dijon to punish the champions just two minutes later. Adrien Rabiot gave away possession and Julio Tavares levelled following a well-executed counter-attack.

Thiago Silva led by example in the 81^st-minute, reacting quickest to find the net after the ball came back off the post. Edinson Cavani added further gloss to the victory three minutes later, steering the ball home with a backheel.

PSG moved up to 2^nd with Nice losing at Monaco, while Dijon dropped to 16^th place and are now facing a relegation battle.

Guingamp 0-1 Caen Venue – Stade du Roudourou

Guingamp’s poor run of form continued with a fifth game without a win as they were defeated by Caen on home soil.

The hosts failed to make the most of their chances and a larger share of possession which led to them being punished in second half stoppage time.

Yann Karamoh’s strike from inside the box in the 93^rd-minute was the difference, sinking Guingamp hearts right at the death.

It was a massive three points for Caen as they climbed to 15^th, while Guingamp sit 8^th but missed out on another opportunity to capitalise on the slip-ups of the teams above them.

 

Lille 0-1 Lorient Venue – Stade Pierre-Mauroy

Lille’s victory over Lyon last week was quickly forgotten as they suffered a disappointing home defeat to relegation-threatened Lorient on Saturday.

The winning goal was scored by Jeremie Aliadiere; a close range strike after receiving the ball from Sylvain Marveaux.

Les Dogues slipped to 12^th in the league, just five points ahead of Lorient who have strengthened their survival hopes at the bottom of the table.

Montpellier 2-1 Bastia Venue – Stade de la Mosson

Montpellier gave themselves a bit of breathing space from the bottom three with a win over Bastia, moving up to 13^th while leaving their opponents in 19^th place.

It took no more than 17 minutes for La Paillade to take the lead. Ryad Boudebouz picked out Steve Mounie in the penalty area and the Beninese international found the bottom corner.

Enzo Crivelli equalised in the 34^th-minute and ensured Bastia were back on level terms at the half-time interval, but another strike from Mounie midway through the second period saw Montpellier retake the lead.

There was still time for some late drama as Alexander Djiku received his marching orders for a foul on Mathieu Deplagne in stoppage time.

 

Sunday 5 February

Toulouse 4-0 Angers Venue – Stadium Municipal

An excellent second half from Toulouse saw them score four goals to emphatically defeat Angers at the Stadium Municipal.

With the game goalless at the break, an inspired team talk from Pascal Dupraz led to Les Pitchouns finding the net within two minutes of the restart through Andy Delort.

Angers then gifted Toulouse with another opportunity to score when Denis Petric brought down Corentin Jean in the box to concede a penalty; a chance Martin Braithwaite rarely fails to take. Oscar Trejo added a third for the home side, before Ola Toivonen completed the rout a minute before regulation time was up.

The win ended a four-match streak of defeats for Toulouse and left them 10^th, while Angers drop back into the danger zone in 18^th place.

Nantes 0-2 Nancy Venue – Stade de la Beaujoire

Nancy left the Stade de la Beaujoire with the three points but the talking point from this encounter is the dismissals towards the end of the match.

The opening goal arrived in the 50^th-minute when Issiar Dia picked out the bottom right corner from the centre of the box, before Julien Cetout doubled Nancy’s lead 14 minutes later.

With the match already settled, it ended on a sour note as both sides finished the game with ten men. Amine Harit was dismissed for Nantes, alongside Vincent Muratori for Nantes following an altercation involving violent conduct.

Nancy jumped to 11^th in the Ligue 1 standings, overtaking Nantes who slipped to 14^th.

Saint-Étienne 2-0 Lyon Venue – Stade Geoffroy-Guichard

A defeat at Saint-Étienne ensured Lyon’s title hopes were all but over as they fall 15 points below the league leaders.

Kevin Monnet-Paquet got Les Verts off to the best possible start with a 9^th-minute goal, receiving the ball from Henri Saivet before converting from the left side of the penalty area.

It didn’t take the hosts long to double their lead; Romain Hamouma’s finish from a reduced angle made it 2-0 in the 22^nd-minute. Lyon couldn’t find a route back into the game and they capitulated in second half stoppage time. Rachid Ghezzal was shown a second yellow card in the 92^nd-minute, before Corentin Tolisso was also dismissed for Les Gones a minute later after a foul on Fabien Lemoine.

Lyon remain 4^th in the league with a game in hand, while Saint-Étienne closed the gap to one point, just behind in 5^th.