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Wins for the top three and abandonment at Bastia made for an eventful weekend of Ligue 1 action.
Friday 14 April
Angers 0-2 Paris Saint-Germain Venue – Stade Jean Bouin
Champions PSG kept the pressure on Monaco with a win at Angers on Friday evening.
Goals in both halves from Angel Di Maria were enough for Les Parisians to secure the victory at the Stade Jean Bouin.
The chase of Monaco continues as PSG remain 2nd, while Angers slipped to 13th in the league standings.
Saturday 15 April
Nice 3-1 Nancy Venue – Allianz Riviera
Nice’s slim title hopes were also kept alive after they came from behind to defeat Nancy at the Allianz Riviera.
A surprising opener from Maurice Dale was cancelled out by Mickael Le Bihan in the first half, but Jean Michael Seri scored twice, including one from the spot, to earn Nice maximum points later in the game.
Les Aiglons remain four points behind the leaders having played a game more, and after the results went in their favour, Nancy finished the weekend still in 17th place.
Guingamp 2-1 Toulouse Venue – Stade du Roudourou
In the mid-table clash at the Stade du Roudourou, Guingamp came out on top with a 2-1 victory over Toulouse.
All the action arrived in a 14-minute spell around the hour mark. Jimmy Briand gave the hosts the lead from the spot after Alban Lafont brought down Yannis Salibur, before Alexandre Mendy doubled the lead.
Toulouse were handed a route back into the game when Marcus Coco fouled Ola Toivonen in the penalty area to allow Andy Delort to pull a goal back. It proved to be no more than a consolation as Guingamp held on for the win.
Antoine Kombouare’s side moved up to 8th with the win, leaving Toulouse three points behind in 11th.
Metz 2-2 Caen Venue – Stade Saint-Symphorien
A four-goal thriller at the Stade Saint-Symphorien saw late drama as Caen struck late to deny Metz a victory.
The first goal of the game didn’t arrive until the 65th-minute and it was Ismaila Sarr who opened the scoring for Metz. It was a lead that lasted no more than nine minutes as Ivan Santini levelled the scores.
Cheick Diabate’s goal seven minutes from time looked to have directed Metz towards a win that might have seen them safe from relegation, but Ronny Rodelin found the net with two minutes to play to earn a point for Caen.
As a result, Metz sit 15th with Caen still three points behind in 16th.
Montpellier 2-0 Lorient Venue – Stade de la Mosson
Lorient’s three-game winning streak ended at the Stade de la Mosson on Saturday with a defeat against Montpellier.
Early goals from Ryad Boudebouz and Isaac Mbenza killed Lorient’s game plan and despite their best efforts, the visitors couldn’t break Montpellier’s defence down.
It’s another week in the relegation zone for Lorient but Montpellier are as good as safe after climbing eight points clear to 12th.
Rennes 2-0 Lille Venue – Roazhon Park
Lille will have to wait a little longer to confirm their safety following a loss against Rennes.
A Firmin Mubele strike after just three minutes put Rennes in the driving seat and Giovanni Sio scored just before the half-hour mark as Lille offered no response.
It was the end to a run of five matches without a win for Rennes as they move up to 9th in the league standings, while Lille are down in 14th; six points above the relegation zone.
Monaco 2-1 Dijon Venue – Stade Louis II
Monaco had to come from behind against Dijon to win and maintain the three-point gap between them and PSG.
After an impressive Champions League victory away at Dortmund in the week, the hosts were hoping to carry on their form in the league but Cedric Varrault’s goal just before half-time gave Dijon a shock lead.
Thankfully for Monaco, Nabil Dirar and Radamel Falcao rescued the result in the second half as they made it six Ligue 1 wins in a row.
Just six games remain for Monaco to try and see out a title win, while Dijon’s campaign is taking a very different turn as they have five games to save their Ligue 1 status.
Sunday 16 April
Nantes 0-1 Bordeaux Venue – Stade de la Beaujoire
Bordeaux made another big step to retaining their place on the European stage with a victory at Nantes.
A single goal from Younousse Sankhare was all that separated the two sides at the Stade de la Beaujoire.
Les Girondins remain 5th in the league table, ten points above Nantes in 10th place.
Bastia A-A Lyon Venue – Stade Armand Cesari
After delaying the kick-off for nearly an hour, Bastia and Lyon’s encounter was abandoned due to the home crowd attempting to attack the visiting players.
Marseille 2-0 Saint-Étienne Venue – Stade Vélodrome
A comfortable victory for Marseille saw them move six points clear of Saint-Étienne, as the sides remain 6th and 7th respectively.
Florian Thauvin opened the scoring in the 22nd-minute, before Bafetimbi Gomis’ goal just past the half-hour mark ensured Les Olympiens would be two goals up at the break.
Thauvin added another just before the hour and Dimitri Payet glossed the victory with a strike in stoppage time.
