Ligue 1 Weekend Review

Result of the week to Union Sportive Boulogne Cote d'Opale.

This week saw a good bit of scoring, although several clubs were held goal-less in disappointing efforts. After some surprising results in the Coupe de la Ligue during the week, clubs came out with renewed vigor to continue their push through the second half of the season only to experience some more surprises. The top of the table has tightened up a bit, with 2nd-4th place separated by only 3 points and a glut of clubs just outside that group. Things may come down to goal differential, in which case Montpellier and Lyon will need to improve that statistic if they hope to secure a spot for the Champions League.

Meanwhile, the result of the week goes to Boulogne, as the 19th-place club played Bordeaux to a goal-less draw away for an impressive 1 point.

Saturday, January 30th:

Bordeaux 0-0 Boulogne – Bordeaux held 70% of the possession and took 23 shots, but only managed to put 4 of the latter on frame in front of a disappointed home crowd. In the 11th Menegazzo had his shot stopped by Boulogne GK Bedenik, who then watched Gourcuff send a shot wide in the 16th minute. The latter had a well-struck free-kick saved by Bedenik in the 27th minute, and Chamakh sent a shot wide in the 34th minute. Boulogne’s only opportunity of the half came in the 44th minute, with Cuvillier volleying wide. The second half started with similar pressure from Bordeaux, as another Gourcuff free-kick was stopped by Bedenik in the 52nd minute while Plasil hit the crossbar in the 64th minute. Cavenaghi continued the push, heading wide and then firing straight at Bedenik. Boulogne then took their only shot of the second half, with a lob from Bellaid punched away by Bordeaux GK Rame. Les Girondins thought they had stolen the victory when a free-kick from Tremoulinas was headed home by Chamakh, but he was correctly adjudged to have been offside.

Le Mans 1-3 Toulouse – Toulouse was one of the few clubs to continue their mid-week success with a win in league competition, making the most of their chances despite being out-possessed by Le Mans. It took quite some time for the action to truly get underway, with the first good chance for either club coming in the 26th minute as Abdi scored only to be ruled offside. In the 33rd minute a long shot from Luan forced an excellent save from Le Mans GK Ovono, while on the other end of the pitch a header from Le Tallec was kept out by Toulouse GK Valverde. The second half started in a similar manner as a shot from Le Tallec was deflected, eliciting a fantastic save from Valverde. The first goal came in the 52nd minute when Machado volleyed home a cross from Braaten to give Toulouse the lead. The next goal was not long in coming, as Gignac pounced on a loose ball in the 62nd minute to see it into the back of the net. Le Mans pulled a goal back in the 70th minute as Ovali made a good cut in traffic and fired a hard shot past Valverde, but the match was finished off in the 85th minute when Luan flicked on a pass for Kazim-Richards, who put his shot between Ovono’s legs for his first Ligue 1 goal.

Lille 1-0 Lens – If not for the 3 YCs earned you would have been hard-pressed to even notice that Lens were playing in this match, as they only managed 1 shot on goal and looked listless throughout. Lens actually started the match more quickly, as a free-kick from Roudet in the 4th minute caused some confusion before being cleared by the defense. However, it was pure pressure from Lille after that point, starting in the form of Frau, who shot wide on a counter-attack in the 9th minute and sent his header over the crossbar in the 14th minute. The goal came in the 23rd minute when some excellent passing between Frau, Balmont and Gervinho was finished off by Hazard. The latter should have had a brace just before the break, but he sent his shot barely wide of the mark. Lens thought they had equalized on the hour mark when a free-kick from Roudet was punched out by Lille GK Landreau only to be headed home by Yahia, but the goal was disallowed for a foul. Lille failed to put the match away in the 85th minute when a shot from Mavuba saw a great save from Lens GK Runje, and they almost paid for that failure in stoppage time when Monnet-Paquet found himself alone in front of goal, but he sent his shot wide to let Lille off the hook.

Monaco 3-2 Nice – The southern coastal derby saw Monaco take their 4th straight league win at the expense of a Nice club that has now not won in their last 9 matches. Monaco struck first when a corner from Nene was headed home by Park in the 16th minute, but Nice looked to counter through Remy (who struck the post) and Pote (who shot over the crossbar). The second half was far more active, with Nice equalizing in the 54th minute as a shot from Fae was pushed out by Monaco GK Ruffier to a waiting ben Saada for an easy tap-in. Park had his brace in the 60th minute on another cross from Nene, earning him the GSTGC award for the week. Nene then had a goal of his own in the 63rd minute when he collected a loose ball and sent a hard shot past Nice GK Ospina. Digard made things interesting in the 80th minute when his well-struck free-kick found the back of the net, but Nice were unable to get the equalizer to the dismay of 200 of their away supporters who attempted to storm the pitch.

Nancy 1-0 Lorient – In the worst match of the week, Nancy survived a snoozefest despite only putting 2 shots on frame. In the 7th minute Dia sent a shot wide, and neither side had another opportunity until the 24th minute when a shot from Ouaddou elicited a save from Lorient GK Audard. On the other end of the pitch Fanchone was denied by Nancy GK Bracigliano in the 33rd minute. The lone goal of the match came in the 41st minute when a long pass from Feret found Hadji for a lob of a despairing Audard. Lorient had the better chances in the second half, but Gameiro was denied twice by Bracigliano while Diarra sent a shot wide.

Rennes 4-0 Grenoble – A miserable season continued for Grenoble as they were completely out-classed by Rennes in all aspects of the match. In the 2nd minute Marveaux was stopped by Grenoble GK Viviani, but just 7 minutes later he turned provider as his cross was flicked on by Briand for Danze to finish. Grenoble showed signs of life in the 26th minute, but Ravet was turned away by Rennes GK Douchez. Marveaux got his goal in the 41st minute on a hard shot, and he completed his brace just after the restart when he sent home a pass from Bangoura. The destruction was complete in the 57th minute when Bangoura got a goal of his own after good work from Fanni and Lemoine, and Grenoble were utterly lost when Cianci saw a straight RC 10 minutes later for a nasty two-footed tackle on Bocanegra. The hopeless club had a final chance to avoid the shut-out, but Kucukovic was turned away by Douchez in the 83rd minute.

Montpellier 2-0 Marseille – Montpellier got a signature win for their season as they battled through a fairly even match to send Marseille on a continued downward trend. Although the clubs shared the possession and took the same number of shots (8, with 2 on frame), it was the physical play of Montpellier (27 fouls to 13 for L’OM) that allowed them to push around their opponents. In the 3rd minute Niang drew a save from Montpellier GK Jourdren, and on the other end of the pitch Montano hit the angle of the post and crossbar with a free-kick in the 7th minute. The latter also shot wide from close-range to end the first half. The first goal came soon after the restart as a throw-in from Jeunechamp allowed Pitau to play Ait Fana through for the finish. Montano continued to press for Montpellier, hitting the post in the 57th minute. L’OM then suffered some bad luck as a corner from Costa was deflected in by Cheyrou for an OG in the 76th minute, and neither side saw any more significant opportunities.

Sunday, January 31st:

Auxerre 1-0 Saint-Etienne – In another match that saw relatively few opportunities, Auxerre made the most of their chances to earn a late match-winner. Saint-Etienne almost saw the perfect start as Payet hit the post within the first few seconds of the match, but then the pace slowed down significantly. In the 27th minute a header from Sanogo was turned away by Auxerre GK Riou, who also stopped a long-range effort from Riviere in the 39th minute. Les Verts almost started the second half perfectly as well, but a volley from N’Daw was cleared off the line by Auxerre defender Hengbart, with Saint-Etienne claiming a handball. The goal came in the 78th minute when a corner from Birsa was headed home by Mignot. Saint-Etienne thought they had equalized in the 85th minute when Bergessio found the back of the net, but he was incorrectly ruled offside. In a final moment of frustration for the club, goal-scorer Mignot appeared to handle the ball in stoppage time but the referee was insistent that no infraction had occurred.

Valenciennes 1-1 Sochaux – The sharing of points was the deserved result in this match, as the clubs were fairly even statistically. In the 8th minute Gavanon sent a shot over the crossbar as Sochaux looked to exert pressure on the Valenciennes defense. Audel opened the scoring in the 21st minute when he poked the ball home after some shoddy defending by Sochaux. The equalizer should have come in the 36th minute, but Boudebouz saw his free-kick punched clear by Valenciennes GK Penneteau, who also turned away Dalmat in the 40th minute. After the restart Audel should have had a brace, but he hit the post with his effort. The equalizer finally came in the 54th minute, and it was worth the wait as a corner from Boudebouz was back-heeled by Faty to Perquis for the finish. Audel continued to surge forward, and his good work with Danic saw a shot from ben Khalfallah that required a great save from Sochaux GK Richert. The final chance for a match-winner from either club saw Danic shoot wide.

Lyon 2-1 Paris Saint-Germain – The marquee match of the weekend lived up to its billing as the clubs combined for 37 shots (14 on frame), 30 fouls (including a straight RC), and late equalizing and match-winning strikes. Lyon had the first opportunity of the match in the 4th minute as a free-kick from Pjanic required a rushed clearance from PSG GK Edel. Surprisingly, the opening goal came at the other end of the pitch as Erdinq raced through the area to get a foot onto a corner from Sessegnon in the 11th minute. PSG then began to apply significant pressure, with Hoarau (who had an outstanding match) having a volley turned away by Lyon GK Vercoutre, who also stopped a shot from Sessegnon a few minutes later. Near the end of the first half a shot from Toulalan was deflected onto the post and rolled across the goal-mouth, only to be cleared by Hoarau before Gomis could capitalize on a prone Edel. The second half started with a flourish as a goal-mouth scramble saw Vercoutre stop shots from Erdinq and Hoarau before Sessgnon shot wide. In the 61st minute Sakho saw a straight RC for a bad tackle from behind on Gomis at the edge of the area. Lyon renewed their efforts and pressed their man-advantage, with Delgado and Gomis forcing saves from Edel. The equalizer came in the 77th minute when a header from Lovren was cleared by Edel only to fall for an easy tap-in for Gomis. The turnaround was complete in the 81st minute, as a free-kick from Bastos was flicked on by Lopez for Cris to head home. Lyon could have had a third goal, but Gomis struck the post with a fierce shot in the 85th minute.

So, after Matchday 22 the top of the table looks like this: (1) Bordeaux, with 48 points on a 15-3-4 record and a +22 goal differential; (2) Montpellier, with 42 points on a 13-3-6 record and a +5 goal differential; (3) Lille, with 40 points on a 12-4-6 record and a +20 goal differential; and (4) Lyon, with 39 points on an 11-6-5 record and a +10 goal differential.