Ligue 1 Review Gameweek 36

 

Controversy at the Parc des Princes and an important three points for Caen were the highlights of the latest round of Ligue 1 fixtures.

 

Friday 5 May

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

The weekend kicked off with a draw at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard as Saint-Étienne came from behind to salvage a point against Bordeaux.

Adam Ounas opened the scoring from the spot to give Les Girondins the lead after Igor Lewczuk was brought down by Habib Maiga, but the hosts were level just before the break through Robert Beric.

Bordeaux restored their lead shortly after the second half restart with a Gaetan Laborde strike but Les Verts fought back once again through Vincent Pajot just past the hour.

A downside for the visitors was Nicolas Pallois’ dismissal in stoppage time as they slipped to 6^th in the table, with Saint-Étienne behind in 7^th.

 

Saturday 6 May

Paris Saint-Germain 5-0 Bastia Venue – Parc des Princes

An emphatic performance from PSG saw them put five goals past Bastia at the Parc des Princes.

Lucas Moura’s goal after half an hour broke the deadlock for Les Parisians and the lead was doubled in controversial fashion. As Blaise Matuidi went down injured in the box, Jean-Louis Leca left his goal to check on him and Marco Verratti played on before finding the net from range.

Marquinhos’ goal was sandwiched between an Edinson Cavani brace to heap misery on a Bastia side that now faces the drop.

PSG remain three points behind Monaco at the top, while Bastia are now four points from safety ahead of the final two matches.

Guingamp 4-0 Dijon Venue – Stade du Roudourou

There was another thrashing at the Stade du Roudourou as Dijon’s survival hopes took a hit with a 4-0 defeat to Guingamp.

Jimmy Briand scored the opener after just four minutes but three quick goals in nine second half minutes secured the victory.

Yannis Salibur made it two in the 55^th-minute, before converting a penalty minutes later after Marcus Coco was fouled by Fouad Chafik in the box. Briand also completed his brace five minutes later to ensure there was no way back for Dijon.

Guingamp remain 9^th in the league standings, but Dijon now have a huge two games ahead with at least two points needed to get them out of the relegation zone.

Lille 0-2 Metz Venue – Stade Pierre-Mauroy

Metz confirmed their safety with a win at Lille on Saturday; a win which saw them climb to 13^th place and one point behind their opponents.

The goals came from Georges Mandjeck in the first half and Renaud Cohade in the second.

A top half finish is now on the cards for Metz but they would need to win their remaining games and hope the results go in their favour.

Lorient 1-1 Angers Venue – Stade du Moustoir

Lorient were fortunate the results went their way as they were held to a 1-1 home draw with Angers.

Romain Philippoteaux’s goal just past the hour gave Lorient the lead but it didn’t last long with Vincent Manceau equalising ten minutes later.

A two-point gap separates Lorient and the danger zone but the battle is far from over with their inferior goal difference, while Angers remain 14^th in the league table.

 

Nancy 0-3 Monaco Venue – Stade Marcel Picot

With a game in hand over PSG and three matches remaining, it looks as though Monaco will only need one win to secure the title after winning at Nancy.

A Tobias Badila own goal sent Monaco on their way after only three minutes and Bernardo Silva’s header minutes before the break put the visitors in a comfortable position.

The win was sealed in the 86^th-minute as Thomas Lemar converted from close range, compounding disappointment on Nancy as they remain three points from safety in 19^th

Toulouse 0-1 Caen Venue – Stadium Municipal

Caen made a huge step towards securing their Ligue 1 status for another year with a 1-0 win at Toulouse.

A single goal from Ivan Santini in the 58^th-minute was all the visitors needed to secure the victory at the Stadium Municipal.

The defeat left Toulouse in 12^th but Caen’s season is far from over as they need to expand on the three point gap between them and the bottom three.

 

Sunday 7 May

Rennes 1-0 Montpellier Venue – Roazhon Park

Rennes kept their hopes of a top half finish alive after scoring a late goal against Montpellier to claim all three points.

Firmin Mubele found the net in the 80^th-minute and the visitors could offer no response in the latter stages.

The hosts still sit 10^th but extended the gap between them and Lille, while Montpellier will have to wait another week to secure their safety.

Lyon 3-2 Nantes Venue – Stade des Lumieres

Despite a couple of scares, Lyon overcame Nantes to win their 20^th game of the season.

Valentin Rongier’s goal after 19 minutes was the only goal of the first half as Nantes earned a surprise half-time lead. Les Gones overturned the deficit midway through the second period; Nabil Fekir won and converted a penalty in the 65^th-minute before Maxwel Cornet headed the hosts into the lead.

Guillaume Gillet got Nantes back into the game but Cornet’s second of the match ten minutes from time proved to be the decisive goal.

Lyon remain 4^th and can achieve no higher, while the defeat left Nantes in 9^th place.

Marseille 2-1 Nice Venue – Stade Vélodrome

The final match of the weekend saw Marseille impressively defeat Nice at the Stade Vélodrome.

Bafetimbi Gomis’ 21^st-minute header put Les Olympiens in front and they saw the lead out until half-time.

It took Nice no longer than five minutes into the second half to draw level through Mario Balotelli, but Patrice Evra’s stooping header was the match winner in the 66^th-minute.

Marseille climbed above Bordeaux to 5^th as a result of the win, while Nice’s season looks to be ending in 3^rd.