Another weekend of exciting Ligue 1 action provided us with a number of surprise results as Montpellier maintained their impressive start to the season with a thumping victory over Rennes, whilst Paris Saint-Germain, Lille and Sochaux registered their first wins of the season. Marseille continue to flounder and have yet to win so far this campaign but with 23 goals scored over the weekend, the league continues to provide great entertainment.
As I mentioned last week you should always expect the unexpected in France and Montpellier’s crushing 4-0 victory over a strong Rennes outfit once again proved this point in spectacular fashion. Tipped by some face a relegation battle this season, La Paillade have confounded their critics with a flurry of early season goals and sit atop the table with a 100% record. Eight goals in three games is an impressive return, especially when you consider that the team only managed 32 in the whole of last season and René Girard will be delighted with the way his side have started the campaign.
Coming off the back of a narrow win in the Europa League three days before this match and with another following it four days later, Les Rouges et Noir named a strong side at Stade de la Mosson on Sunday. MHSC were also at relative full strength and it wasn’t until half an hour in that they took the lead when Rennes goalkeeper Benoît Costil fouled Garry Bocaly in the area. Younès Belhanda stepped up to convert the spot-kick. That goal sparked the hosts into life and after a number of other chances Geoffrey Dernis curled home a sublime effort from outside the box. An impressive brace from substitute Souleymane Camara put the icing on a great team performance. Rennes manager Frédéric Antonetti was left wondering how last season’s best defence in Ligue 1, having only conceded 35 goals, was breached four times by last season’s worst attack.
Speaking after the match Antonetti was raging: “We absolutely blew this match because we got our defensive strategy all wrong. We were negligent and it seemed like we didn’t really want to defend. If we want to make progress as a club, we need to be able to play well every three days, which wasn’t the case tonight.” His opposite number Girard however was delighted with his side’s display: “I don’t know if there is such a thing as a perfect game, but when it’s like it was tonight, it’s immensely enjoyable. We played a complete match – we had aggression, possession play and excellent finishing. It’s not every day that you score four against Rennes.”
PSG, Rennes’ opponents the previous weekend managed to build on their positive point gained at the Stade de la Route de Lorient with a laboured 2-1 victory at home to Valenciennes. Although it was far from a classic, the capital club got the win they needed to relieve a bit of the pressure that was building on manager Antoine Kombouaré although they should have won by a bigger margin. Played in sweltering conditions, the match was a tight affair until Jérémy Ménez managed to raise himself from his malaise long enough to run onto a through ball from the impressive Zoumana Camara and play a perfect pass into the path of Kévin Gameiro who produced a slick finish. Les Rouges et Bleus took their foot off the gas though and were punished when Renaud Cohade’s cross was headed home by Rémi Gomis on the stroke of half-time.
The heat did not help the atmosphere in the stadium and the home fans grew agitated as they chanted Javier Pastore’s name hoping they’d get a glimpse of the €42 million man. They didn’t have to wait long. On 55 minutes Kombouaré brought the Argentine on for the much improved Blaise Matuidi and he immediately showed why the club paid such a high price for him. With an array of deft touches, clever flicks and a clear desire to impress the captive audience, the stadium and team were lifted by his introduction. He did not play a role in the winner though as Nenê’s cross was handled by David Ducourtioux and the Brazilian stepped up to slot home the penalty in style.
Kombouaré’s side held on for the victory but he still expects more from his players: “Tonight I saw a tight-knit team that stuck together and fought hard. It’s an important win for us. I’m very happy that we won this tough match but I’m not so impressed that we’re conceding a goal a game. We need to be tougher to break down.” His touchline opponent Daniel Sanchez was underwhelmed by his sides’ performance: “I’m bitter. But in terms of technical execution, PSG were better than us. We played a good first half but in the second we were average – we couldn’t loosen their grip on the game.”
Prior to the match PSG had endured a difficult start to the season that saw them languishing in the bottom half of the table where Lille also found themselves and they went to high-flying Caen in search of their first win. The champions duly obliged but it was a far from convincing performance and Rudi Garcia will want to rectify his side’s shortcomings before they compete in the Champions League next month. A fine individual performance from Benoît Pedretti saw him score a goal and provide an assist for Mathieu Debuchy as Lille found themselves 0-2 up with two minutes remaining. However, Les Dogues still almost threw it away though as Caen grabbed a late lifeline through a Benjamin Nivet penalty following a Ludovic Obraniak handball and only a superb save from Mickaël Landreau denied the same player an equaliser in injury time.
Although happy with the points after the match, Garcia will be demanding more of his players in the coming weeks and said: “I’m not relieved. The result was always going to come. We didn’t play as well in the second half but managed to be more effective in front of goal. It could have been a bigger win.” His counterpart Franck Dumas was more blunt in his appraisal: “Lille deserved the win. It’s a shame that we lost Pierre-Alain Frau to injury in the warm-up. We need to show a bit of temperament and we lacked character, especially in the closing minutes. We needed to be hungry and try to battle for a point.”
Sochaux also secured their first three point haul of the season as they ran out 1-2 winners over Nancy at Stade Marcel Picot giving manager Mehmed Baždarević his first win in charge. The performance was an improvement on the previous week’s display against Caen and there are signs that the team are able to replicate some of their fine form from last season which will be a welcome boost following the stressful saga currently surrounding striker Modibo Maiga’s future. The striker was absent from the squad again but was not missed as goals from Mathieu Peybernes and Sloan Privat set Les Lionceaux on the way to victory. A late penalty from Youssouf Hadji threatened to bring ASNL back into the tie after Paul Alo’o Efoulou was fouled by Carlão who was then shown the red card, but Sochaux held on for the win.
Bazdarevic was delighted with his side’s performance: “We knew that the match would be very tough in this heat and the effects of the trip. We weren’t expecting a great match technically and tactically, but I was looking for commitment and a fighting spirit. So I tip my hat to my players. We deserved what we got.” Nancy manager Jean Fernandez was less than amused by his side’s showing: “This is one defeat too many. We have lots of holes in our game; we lack speed and precision. We’re already in a bit of a precarious position after three matches, even though we know that the league season is long. Hard work is the only solution. I think we have the potential to do much better.”
Elsewhere, the new boys in the league experienced contrasting fortunes as Ajaccio and Evian played out a 1-1 draw after substitute Kévin Bérigaud’s equaliser had cancelled out Frédéric Sammaritano’s well-worked opener. Dijon though produced a surprise performance to dispose of Lorient who had been enjoying an impressive start to the season. Grégory Thil gave DFCO the lead after three minutes and despite the dismissal of captain Abdoulaye Méïté, they secured the win in the 88th minute with Brice Jovial’s fantastic improvisational bicycle kick following a mix-up between Fabien Audard and Grégory Bourillon.
Another bicycle kick made the headlines in Nice when Toulouse youngster Adrien Regattin scored a sensational effort in the 90th minute of his debut with an outrageous bicycle kick to tie the exciting match. The game was marred by controversy as Nice, having failed to build on Anthony Mounier’s first half strike had a legitimate goal ruled out and missed a late penalty whilst Toulouse had Amadou Soukouna sent off. The result keeps Les Aiglons bottom without a win and Marseille are one of a number of teams who have also failed to win so far this season. L’OM played out a dour 0-0 draw at home to Saint-Etienne and bar Jean-Pascal Mignot’s sending off for two yellow cards, the match was uneventful.
Marseille’s opponents last week were Auxerre who managed to hold Bordeaux to a 1-1 draw at Stade Chaban-Delmas thanks to midfielder Alain Traoré’s third goal in three games which cancelled out Yoan Gouffran’s first half header. Brest and Lyon also fought out a 1-1 draw despite L’OL’s under-strength side looking in danger of slipping to defeat when they fell behind to Benoit Lesoimier’s 12th minute effort. Rémi Garde’s side rallied though and Bafétimbi Gomis secured a point with a powerful finish on 70 minutes. Brest’s Nolan Roux put in an impressive performance and was the recipient of some heavy-handed defending from new signing Bakary Koné who saw red just past the hour mark.
