Ligue 1 Review – Gameweek 32

 

Huge wins for Lorient and Bastia set up a dramatic relegation battle ahead of the final weeks of the Ligue 1 season.

 

Friday 7 April

Lille 1-2 Nice Venue – Stade Pierre-Mauroy

A Mario Balotelli brace ensured Nice wouldn’t be giving up on the title without a fight as they beat Lille on Friday.

A quick start saw Les Dogues take the lead through Ibrahim Amadou’s deflected strike, but Balotelli levelled the scores two minutes later after converting Valentin Eysseric’s pass.

The Italian showed his poacher’s instinct just before half-time. Ricardo Pereira had his shot parried but Balotelli was quick to stab home the rebound.

Nice are 3^rd and four points behind the leaders who have played a game less, while Lille’s four-match unbeaten streak ended as they sit 13^th.

 

Saturday 8 April

Angers 0-1 Monaco Venue – Stade Jean Bouin

Monaco made another step towards the title with a 1-0 win at the Stade Jean Bouin against Angers.

The visitors broke the deadlock just past the hour mark and it was the in-form Radamel Falcao with the goal. Nabil Dirar perfectly served Falcao with a pass and the Colombian opened the scoring.

One goal was enough for the Monaco victory as they remain three points clear at the top, while there’s no change for Angers in 12^th place.

Bordeaux 3-0 Metz Venue – Nouveaux Stade de Bordeaux

A comfortable win for Bordeaux left them in the hunt for 4^th place and Metz’s second consecutive 3-0 defeat means they are dangerously close to the bottom three in 15^th.

Les Girondins took the lead in the 14^th-minute through Malcom and two quick fire second half goals from Valentin Vada put the game beyond doubt.

The Argentinean scored his first in the 50^th-minute from the spot after Benoit Assou-Ekotto fouled Malcom, before completing his brace two minutes later.

Metz’s misery was compounded in the fourth minute of stoppage time when Assou-Ekotto’s got worse with a straight red card for violent conduct.

Caen 0-2 Montpellier Venue – Stade Michel d’Ornano

Montpellier overcame Caen in the six-pointer down at the bottom of Ligue 1 and made a step to avoiding relegation.

A Stephane Sessegnon goal early in the second period put La Paillade in the driving seat and Jonathan Ikone made sure of the victory two minutes from time.

Caen sit 16^th; only one point above the drop zone, while Montpellier are now four points ahead in 14^th place.

Dijon 1-2 Bastia Venue – Stade Gaston Gérard

The biggest game of the weekend transformed the relegation battle as bottom place Bastia dragged Dijon down to 19^th with a win.

Enzo Crivelli opened the scoring for Bastia in the 17^th-minute, but the hosts were level in the 29^th-minute through Pierre Lees-Melou.

Yannick Cahuzac’s effort just before the hour gave Bastia a much needed three points, ensuring there are just eight points between 14^th and 20^th as the end of the season looms.

 

Lyon 1-4 Lorient Venue – Stade des Lumieres

Lorient produced the shock of the weekend with a 4-1 victory against Lyon at the Stade des Lumieres.

Having fallen behind to Corentin Tolisso’s goal, Lorient were back on level terms through Majeed Waris in the 42^nd-minute and the timing of the goal was crucial for their confidence.

An early goal in the second half from Sylvain Marveaux gave Lorient the hope of earning a result and the hope soon became a reality as a Benjamin Moukandjo brace in the latter stages saw Les Merlus blow Lyon out of the water.

Lorient’s third successive victory means only goal difference keeps them from safety, while Lyon already had one eye on the Europa League clash with Besiktas as they remain 4^th.

Nancy 3-0 Rennes Venue – Stade Marcel Picot

Nancy ended their dreadful run of form with a surprising 3-0 win over Rennes to give themselves a chance of Ligue 1 survival.

An early goal from Maurice Dale set the tone of the match in the 11^th-minute, before an Issiar Dia brace in the second period gave the hosts a comfortable win.

Nancy climbed out of the relegation zone to 17^th as a result, damaging Rennes’ ambitions of a European spot as they sit 11^th in the league standings.

 

Sunday 9 April

Toulouse 0-0 Marseille Venue – Stadium Municipal

A goalless draw at the Stadium Municipal was better for Toulouse than Marseille in relation to their season’s prospects.

Les Olympiens had the larger share of the ball but chances were limited as neither side could find the breakthrough.

There’s no change for Marseille as they remain 6^th having drawn their last three matches, while Toulouse moved up to 9^th.

Saint-Étienne 1-1 Nantes Venue – Stade Geoffroy-Guichard

Saint-Étienne failed to take advantage of Marseille’s misfortunes as they too were held to a draw, at home to Nantes.

It was Les Canaris who took the lead as another goal from Prejuce Nakoulma silenced the home crowd, and the lead lasted nearly an hour but Benjamin Corgnet levelled the scores for Les Verts.

Saint-Étienne remain in the running for a place in Europe as they sit 7^th, while Nantes are just three points behind in 8^th.

Paris Saint-Germain 4-0 Guingamp Venue – Parc des Princes

A rampant second half performance from the champions at the Parc des Princes proved too much for Guingamp as PSG won 4-0.

Unai Emery’s side had to wait until the 56^th-minute to open the scoring but it was worth the wait, as Edinson Cavani released Angel Di Maria and the Argentinean chipped Karl-Johan Johnsson.

Cavani then continued his exquisite campaign with a brace in a ten-minute spell; fine finishes following assists from Adrien Rabiot and Di Maria.

Blaise Matuidi completed the rout in additional time to make sure PSG retained their spot in 2^nd, leaving Guingamp 10^th in the table.