Ligue 1 Review Gameweek 29

 

The top sides struggled to see of lower league opposition with European matches taking their toll, giving certain teams an opportunity to make up lost ground.

 

Friday 10 March

Nice 2-2 Caen Venue – Allianz Riviera

Nice dropped points at home but it could have been much worse for the title chasers as they had to come from two goals down to rescue a point against Caen.

Goals either side of half-time from Ivan Santini and Yann Karamoh gave the visitors a surprise two goal lead at the Allianz Riviera, however they were pegged back later in the second period.

Mario Balotelli’s goal in the 71^st-minute gave Nice hope and Anastasios Donis’ strike six minutes later levelled the scores.

Nice are now five points behind the leaders Monaco, whereas Caen are far from danger in 15^th place.

Marseille 3-0 Angers Venue – Stade Vélodrome

Marseille’s hopes of European football for another year were strengthened with a comfortable win over Angers on Friday.

An early goal from Florian Thauvin set the pace of the game and Remy Cabella doubled the lead in the 20^th-minute to make an Angers comeback very difficult.

Thauvin scored his second of the match with less than a quarter of an hour to go, making it back-to-back wins for Les Olympiens.

A four-game win streak for Angers came to an end as they slipped to 12^th, while Marseille moved up to 5^th.

 

Saturday 11 March

Monaco 2-1 Bordeaux Venue – Stade Louis II

Another goal from the youngster Kylian Mbappe inspired Monaco to another victory, against Bordeaux.

The teenager opened the scoring in the 68^th-minute and Joao Moutinho doubled the hosts’ lead just six minutes later.

Diego Rolan pulled a goal back for Bordeaux but it was too little too late as Monaco held on as they became three points closer to the title.

The win is a good psychological boost ahead of the Ligue 1 leaders’ Champions League clash with Manchester City, but Bordeaux have slipped to 6^th and their European spot is now at risk.

Guingamp 5-0 Bastia Venue – Stade du Roudourou

A masterclass in the second half from Guingamp saw them see off Bastia in emphatic style at the Stade du Roudourou.

After a goalless first half, it took the hosts just two minutes to break the deadlock through Yannis Salibur. The flood gates then opened for Guingamp as Lucas Deaux added a second to the score sheet.

Matters got worse for Bastia just past the hour when Gael Danic received a second yellow card, before Jimmy Briand, Ludovic Blas and Alexandre Mendy completed the rout in the latter stages.

Guingamp ended a three-match run without a win to climb to 8^th, leaving Bastia stuck in 19^th on a horrendous winless run.

Montpellier 2-3 Nantes Venue – Stade de la Mosson

Two late goals at the Stade de la Mosson ensured a dramatic finish in the encounter between Montpellier and Nantes.

Steve Mounie opened the scoring for the home side in the 12^th-minute, but a brace from Prejuce Nakoulma turned the game around with Nantes taking the lead.

Ryad Boudebouz must have thought he’d salvaged a point for Montpellier with a goal in the 84^th-minute; however a late strike from Emiliano Sala saw Nantes claim the victory.

Les Canaris climb to 10^th as a result of the win, while Montpellier remain 13^th in the Ligue 1 standings.

 

Nancy 1-2 Lille Venue – Stade Marcel Picot

An important win for Lille in the lower half of the table saw them move up to 14^th, staying above Nancy who dropped into the bottom three.

It was actually the hosts who took the lead through Issiar Dia just past the half-hour mark but Lille fought back later in the second half to take maximum points.

Alou Diarra conceded a penalty with a foul Yassine Benzia in the box, giving Nicolas de Preville the chance to level from the spot. The turnaround was complete in the 81^st-minute when a Rony Lopes goal ensured Lille came out on top.

Rennes 1-1 Dijon Venue – Roazhon Park

Dijon climbed out of the relegation zone after earning a point at Roazhon Park against Rennes.

The visitors took the lead just minutes before the break through Julio Tavares, but the scores were level in the 58^th-minute thanks to Wesley Said.

Rennes are becoming the specialists in drawing matches with their seventh in nine outings, leaving them 9^th, whereas Dijon are down in 17^th.

 

Sunday 12 March

Saint-Étienne 2-2 Metz Venue – Stade Geoffroy-Guichard

Fellow relegation-threatened Metz also did well to earn a point, but they were unfortunate not to claim all three as a very late goal from Saint-Étienne denied them.

Metz were in front with less than a minute played as Ismaila Sarr opened the scoring. They held the lead until half-time, but Les Verts were back on level terms in the 53^rd-minute thanks to a goal from Robert Beric.

Simon Falette’s effort gave Metz the lead once more in the 67^th-minute and it looked as though it was going to finish 2-1. Saint-Étienne had other ideas and Loic Perrin equalised in dramatic fashion with five minutes of injury time on the clock.

Saint-Étienne remain 7^th in the table, whereas Metz are 16^th, four points above the drop zone after five games without a victory.

Lyon 4-0 Toulouse Venue – Stade des Lumieres

A stunner from Memphis Depay was the highlight as Lyon comfortably beat Toulouse at the Stade des Lumieres.

Christophe Jallet opened the scoring for Les Gones in the 36^th-minute and Maxwel Cornet capped Lyon’s dominance with a goal two minutes after the second half restart.

Depay then took over to steal the show and make sure of the three points. The Dutchman scored his first in the 53^rd-minute, before stealing possession in the centre of midfield and lobbing Alban Lafont from just inside the Toulouse half in the latter stages.

Lyon sit 4^th with a game in hand, but the loss and dent to their goal difference saw Toulouse slip to 11^th place.

Lorient 1-2 Paris Saint-Germain Venue – Stade du Moustoir

PSG managed to edge past bottom club Lorient to keep in touch with Monaco at the top of the table.

Les Parisians were ahead just before the half-hour mark when Lorient’s Benjamin Jeannot turned the ball into his own net. Christopher Nkunku doubled PSG’s lead seven minutes into the second half to put the champions in a strong position to see the game out.

Michael Ciani’s goal later in the half was a scare but PSG held on for the win to leave Lorient in trouble once more.