Ligue 1 Round-Up: PSG Fire Blank While Monaco Close The Gap
There were plenty of goals across Ligue 1 this weekend but surprisingly, one of Europe’s strongest attacks couldn’t find the back of the net.
Here’s a roundup of all the action from the French top flight.
Friday
OGC Nice 2-2 Angers
One of two Friday night games saw Nice come back from two goals down to take a point at home against Angers.
Mario Pavlovic headed the away side in front with just 12 minutes played before striker Karl Toko Ekambi doubled the lead from a brilliant Yoann Andreu cross 10 minutes before half-time.
Nice were back in the game just four minutes later when defender Thomas Mangani was adjudged to have handled in the penalty area and former Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli slotted away the spot kick.
The home side pushed for an equaliser throughout the second half and it eventually came with 15 minutes remaining but Angers were the architects of their own downfall as Ismael Traore headed into his own net from a free kick.
The point leaves both sides in and around mid-table.
Lille 0-4 Monaco
Friday nights other game saw some of Monaco’s new boys and the league’s top scorer pile more misery on struggling Lille boss Marcelo Bielsa.
Steven Jovetic opened the scoring with a coolly taken effort from the edge of the area after Lille gave the ball away cheaply before fellow summer signing Rachid Ghezzal fired from a low cross to give the reigning Ligue 1 champions a 2-0 lead with half an hour played.
Radamel Falcao already had nine goals in six matches before this weekend and he took his tally to 11 with a close-range header and penalty kick to cap off a solid performance from Leonardo Jardim’s side.
The win leaves Monaco just a point behind PSG in second while Lille struggles continue as they drop into the relegation zone.
Saturday
Montpellier 0-0 Paris Saint-Germain
PSG dropped points in Ligue 1 for the first time this season in a below-par performance away at Montpellier.
Even without the injured Neymar the league leaders still had Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani in attack but it turned out to be a disappointing afternoon for both.
Summer signing Mbappe had the two best chances of the game but Benjamin Lecomte managed to protect his clean sheet.
Unai Emery’s side remain top despite losing their 100% record and Montpellier stay 12th.
Bordeaux 3-1 Guingamp
Bordeaux impressive start to the season continues as they remain unbeaten thanks to two late goals.
Francois Kamano gave the home side the lead when he was quickest to react after Nicolas de Preville saw his penalty saved by Karl-Johan Johnsson with 30 minutes played.
Guingamp found a leveller just a minute into the second half through Yannis Salibur’s deflected effort after good work from Marcus Thuram on the left wing.
Alexandre Mendy fired Bordeaux back in front with 15 minutes left on the clock with a well-taken finish from a tight angle before Jonathan Cafu secured all three points in injury time.
The win makes it seven games without defeat for Bordeaux who remain in third while Guingamp stay 10th.
Caen 1-0 Amiens
New promoted Amiens continued their inconsistent form as they went down 1-0 away at Caen.
A brilliantly taken penalty from Ivan Santini in the 54th minute was enough to give the home side all three points and their fourth win in five games.
Amiens meanwhile sit in 16th and are outside of the relegation zone by just a single point.
Lyon 3-3 Dijon
A six-goal thriller at Groupama Stadium saw a share of the spoils between Lyon and Dijon.
Nabil Fekir gave the home side the lead with 20 minutes gone when he tapped home from close range.
The lead lasted only four minutes after some woeful defending saw Ferland Mendy give away a penalty which was converted by Naim Sliti and send the teams into the interval level.
A 15-minute spell early in the second half produced four goals with Dijon taking a 2-1 lead in the 52nd minute after more terrible defending from Lyon allowed an unmarked Xeka to head home at the far post.
OL struck back when Houssem Aouar converted a Kenny Tete cross on the hour mark and they then took the lead when Mendy made up for his earlier mistake by winning a penalty which was scored by Mariano Diaz.
Cedric Yambere once again drew Dijon level with 66 minutes played with a glancing header from a free kick but neither side could find a winner and take all three points.
The result sees Dijon hovering just above the relegation zone and Lyon in 7th but they have work to do defensively if Saturday’s display is anything to go by.
Metz 0-1 Troyes
One goal is all that could separate these two sides as Metz remain rooted to the bottom of Ligue 1.
A brilliant counterattack from the away side in injury time was finished off by Samuel Grandsir as Troyes took all three points to climb the table to 13th.
Metz, however, remain bottom with just one win from seven games.
Sunday
Saint-Etienne 2-2 Rennes
Sunday’s action kicked off with another entertaining affair as Saint-Etienne and Rennes could not be separated.
Benjamin Bourigeaud gave the away side the lead when he stole the ball from Ole Selnaes on the edge of the area and chipped the ball over a helpless Stephane Ruffier in the Saint-Etienne goal.
Les Verts were level in first-half stoppage time when Brazilian Gabriel Silva was quickest to react from a corner and fire home a leveller.
Rennes regained the lead with 54 minutes played after Wahbi Khazri – on loan from Sunderland – tucked away a penalty but Saint-Etienne won a spot-kick of their own with 20 minutes left to play and Jonathan Bamba scored it as the sides take a point each.
Saint-Etienne stay fourth and Rennes sit 15th.
Strasbourg 1-2 Nantes
All of the action at the Stade de la Meinau came in the opening 25 minutes as Claudio Ranieri’s Nantes side came away with all three points.
Things weren’t looking good with 10 minutes played though as Nuno Da Costa arrived at the front of the queue to head the home side into the lead.
However, it would only last three minutes as a brilliant touch, turn and finish from Adrien Thomasson drew the visitor’s level.
Leo Dubois scored the winner and the goal of the weekend in Ligue 1 with 24 minutes gone as he drove a powerful 25-yard shot into the top corner past a helpless Bingourou Kamara.
The win sees Nantes pick up their third consecutive victory and remain unbeaten in their past five Ligue 1 games as they climb to sixth while Strasbourg remain just a point off the bottom in 19th.
Marseille 2-0 Toulouse
A weekend of Ligue 1 action was rounded off by a 2-0 win for Marseille at home to Toulouse.
Florian Thuavin scored a scrappy opener with just over 30 minutes played as he poked home from close range following a free-flowing opening to proceedings.
Lucas Ocampos added a decisive second goal just after the hour mark but the Argentine winger knew little about it as Dimitri Payet’s corner ricochet off his knee and into the net.
The win sees OM pick up their second consecutive win following two defeats as they climb to fifth. Toulouse meanwhile sit in 14th.
