Ligue 1 Weekend Review

Result of the week to L'OM, who take over at the top.

This week saw the old guard reestablish dominance as the traditional Ligue 1 powers (almost) all came away with victories.

With an extra day’s rest for some, and 4 days for others, due to the Coupe de la Ligue final last Saturday, clubs were able to take advantage and make some tactical changes that served them well in their matches.

The result of the week goes to Marseille, who dominated Nice on the strength of an incredible performance from Andre Ayew (supported by his brother, Jordan) to move into first place in Ligue 1. L’OM now control their own destiny in their bid to repeat the double in consecutive years.

Sunday, April 24th:

Auxerre 1-1 Lens – Despite pouring in 21 shots (nearly 3x that of their opponents) and maintaining 63% of the possession, Lens could only manage a draw in this match. They were almost immediately on the back foot, as Auxerre took the lead in just the 6th minute with Boly finishing off a cross from Dudke to break his Ligue 1 duck. The equalizer should have arrived in the 23rd minute after dos Santos dribbled past Auxerre GK Sorin, but he comically lost his footing and the chance went wanting. The former then managed to actually get off a shot 5 minutes later, but this time his effort was turned away by Sorin. The equalizer finally came just after the restart, with Roudet volleying home a cross from Bedimo in the 49th minute. That prompted Auxerre to provide more pressure, and Lens GK Runje was forced to make saves in quick succession on a free-kick from Birsa and a header from Sammaritano. The final chance for either side to steal the full points came in the 85th minute, when a header from Hermach hit the crossbar.

Bordeaux 2-0 Saint-Etienne – Les Verts were unable to get off even a single shot on frame, and would have lost in much worse fashion if not for the efforts of ASSE netminder Janot. Still, it was the former’s teammates with the first chance of the match, as Riviere sent a shot over the crossbar in the 7th minute. From that moment on, Les Girondins appeared unstoppable, with Janot called into action on a shot from Modeste in the 12th minute. The opening goal came in the 15th minute when another shot from Modeste was parried away by Janot, only to fall at the feet of Plasil for an easy follow-up. Modeste was persistent, and his next effort brought about an incredible save from the increasingly-busy Janot. The latter produced yet another phenomenal save just before the break, his great effort turning away Diarra this time. ASSE should have scored in the 54th minute on a header from Riviere, but it was cleared off the line by Bordeaux defender Fernando, and the former was denied again in the 73rd minute as his header hit the crossbar. In the 81st minute Janot turned away a shot from Chevalier, but he was unable to deny Diabate in the 89th minute to provide the final margin.

Brest 2-2 Paris Saint-Germain – The club from the capital faltered in a bit that was fairly even, statistically, needing a late goal to come away with the shared points. The 4th minute saw a header from Hoarau deflected wide, while at the other end of the pitch a free-kick from Grougi was punched clear by PSG GK Coupet in the 9th minute. Les Parisiens took the lead in the 20th minute a deep free-kick from Nene released Bodmer down the left-hand side, allowing the latter to turn inside with plenty of open space and finish clinically. They looked to capitalize on their pressure, but Brest GK Elana was equal to the task in turning away both Clement and Tiene with a series of outstanding saves. Unfortunately for PSG, their own netminder then suffered a turn in fortune, as Coupet had to leave in the 33rd minute due to persistent back problems. Faced with defending in front of the fragile Edel, PSG looked uncertain. Indeed, Edel demonstrated that they had cause for concern just a few minutes later when he took down Grougi in the box for a PK. Although the latter saw his attempt saved, Toure was on hand to send home the rebound to draw even at 1-1. He then turned provider in first-half stoppage-time, sending in a cross that was sent home by the deserving Grougi. Coming out of the break with a 2-1 lead, Brest looked to strengthen their position, with a volley from Lesoimier sent barely wide of the mark. The pace of the second half slowed considerably, with the next opportunity not coming until the 76th minute as a shot from Nene elicited a save from Elana. That was followed shortly by a shot from Giuly that was denied by Elana. After having absorbed the pressure, PSG finally managed to push back in the 87th minute, with Jallet flicking on a pass for the precocious Bahebeck, whose cross was headed home by Hoarau to maintain PSG’s hopes for European competition.

Caen 1-1 Toulouse – The two frustrated sides combined for 50 fouls in a match that saw more physicality than good technical play, and in the end the draw was the deserved result. Play opened with El Arabi sending a header wide of the mark, while at the other end of the pitch a header from Braaten drew an excellent save from Caen GK Thebaux. The latter then did well to punch clear a free-kick Didot, and his efforts were rewarded in the 29th minute when Hamouma took a pass from Leca, dribbled through the defense and finished clinically (earning the GSTGC award in the process). However, that lead only lasted 10 minutes as Braaten was brought down in the box by Caen defender Heurtaux, with Sissoko sending home the resulting PK. The second half began with a header from Yatabare that went wide of the mark, with Toulouse GK Ahamada finally called into action to deny a volley from Raineau. Le TFC had a final opportunity to take the full points, but the shot from Capoue was turned away by Thebaux.

Monaco 1-0 Rennes – A struggling Monaco side came away with a vital victory over a Rennes club that has seen their title hopes completely shattered over the past month (how Arsenalesque!). In the 4th minute Tettey made a scintillating run through four defenders and sent in a cross for Boukari, but the header from the latter came crashing back off the post. After a long lull in the action Rennes went close again, this time a free-kick from Kembo-Ekoko sailing barely over the crossbar. The club from the principality finally sprang to life after the half-hour mark, with Park shooting wide in the 37th minute, but they were unable to make their efforts pay before the end of the half. In the 54th minute a shot from Haruna elicited an excellent save from Rennes GK Douchez, but the latter was unable to stop the former from turning provider in the 72nd minute as his cross was headed home by Welcome. After that Les Monegasques were content to park the bus, and they almost paid for that in the 87th minute when a cross-turned-shot from Danze skimmed over the crossbar.

Nancy 0-0 Arles – Despite mustering zero shots on frame and only holding 37% of the possession, a relegated Arles side was more than game for Nancy. The latter started off well, with a shot from Brison drawing a great save from Arles GK Merville very early in the match. Things seemed to go downhill for Arles almost immediately, as Balde received a straight RC in the 10th minute for fouling Brison as the last defender. That was followed shortly by a free-kick from Feret that Merville did well to punch clear, and the netminder was relieved to see a shot from Hadji find its way into the side-netting. That trend continued to begin the second half, with Feret shooting barely wide. The best opportunity for Nancy came on the hour-mark, with Brison left unmarked in the area, but he contrived to miss from close range. Still, Les Chardons pressed their man-advantage, with Vahirua sending a shot over the crossbar. In the end, Nancy came away disappointed having to share the points despite playing 80 minutes against a 10-man bottom-dweller.

Valenciennes 1-1 Sochaux – In a relatively clean and technical match, it took a bit of bad luck during a frenzied period for Valenciennes to be denied the full points. The opening goal came in the 10th minute when a poor clearance allowed Cohade to send back in a ball that was headed home by Kadir. However, that lead lasted just 2 minutes as a long clearance from Sochaux GK Richert was sent on by Maiga, only to be turned in by Valenciennes defender Ducourtioux for an OG. The pace of the match then slowed considerably, with the next opportunity not coming until the 41st minute, when a shot from Maurice-Belay could only be parried by Valenciennes GK Penneteau, who was relieved to see the bicycle kick follow-up from Maiga go wide. The second half began with a shot from Dossevi that rattled the post, after which a shot from Aboubakar was punched clear by Richert. The final chance for either side came in the 74th minute when Maiga was denied by Penneteau.

Lorient 1-1 Lille – Les Dogues stumbled yet again as they continue to make the run-in difficult for themselves by dropping points. They came out well, with a shot from Sow producing a fantastic save from Lorient GK Audard in the 5th minute. After that point, however, it was Les Merlus on the attack, with Gameiro hitting the post and Romao denied by Lille GK Landreau in a span of a few minutes. The latter was kept busy, having to turn away efforts from Mvuemba and Amalfitano later in the half. Still, things ended on a high note for Lille as a cross from Sow was volleyed home by Debuchy in the 42nd minute. The second half began with more pressure from Lorient, as Landreau was once again called into action to deny Gameiro. The equalizer came in the 69th minute a cross from Amalfitano was volleyed home by the hard-working Gameiro. That sparked Lille to life once more, and Audard did well to deny Gervinho while 1-on-1. They had a final chance to take the full points in the 88th minute, but the volley from Frau was denied by Audard to send Lille into the dressing room disappointed.

Wednesday, April 27th:

Lyon 3-2 Montpellier – Les Gones needed a late match-winner to take the full points, and those vital points see them remain within spitting distance of the top of the table. Lyon didn’t quite look up for it at the start of the match, with netminder Lloris forced into a save on a header from Kabze and then watching a header from Yangambiwa sail over the crossbar. Yet, it was they who opened the scoring, with a hard strike from EDerson flying into the upper corner in the 23rd minute. The equalizer wasn’t long in coming, with an unmarked Giroud finishing off a cross from Estrada in the 30th minute. Montpellier thought they had taken the lead shortly before the half, but the effort from Dernis came back off the crossbar. He replicated that effort to begin the second half, with his shot caroming off the post this time around. Lyon regained the lead in the 55th minute when Gomis stripped the ball off Montpellier defender Yangambiwa and fed Lisandro Lopez for the finish. That goal actually resulted in a slower pace for the match, as Lyon sank back to defend their lead somewhat, and Montpellier were unable to display any verve in their attack. However, in the 84th minute Lloris could only respond with a punched clearance of a shot from Koita, and Camara was on hand to finish off the rebound. There was still a hand left to be played, and Gourcuff elated his teammates in the 90th minute by volleying home a headed pass from Lisandro Lopez for the match-winner.

Marseille 4-2 Nice – Didier Deschamps made some changes to this match out of necessity, slotting Abriel out wide and putting Andre Ayew at the centre-forward position, and the latter responded with an incredible feat of scoring precisely 1 goal every 30 minutes. L’OM were on the front foot early, with a shot from Valbuena deflected and an effort from Gignac going barely wide. Ayew’s first goal came in the 30th minute when a corner from Valbuena was badly mishandled by Nice GK Ospina and dropped at his feet for the easy finish. Nice responded well, as Traore turned home a shot from close range in the area after a scramble to equalize shortly before the half. Les Phoceens retook the lead in the 60th minute when Ayew finished off a cross from his brother, Jordan Ayew. The latter then got a goal of his own in the 78th minute, slamming home a hard shot on a cross from Fanni. Nice had an opportunity to get back in the match in the 84th minute when Marseille defender Diawara brought down Bamogo in the box, but the latter sent in a weak PK that was denied by Marseille GK Mandanda. Andre Ayew completed his hat-trick in the 90th minute on another cross from Fanni, and the match ended with a stoppage-time goal from Civelli which proved to be little consolation.

So, after Matchday 32 the top of the table looks like this: (1) Marseille, with 61 points on a 17-10-5 record and a +21 goal differential; (2) Lille, with 60 points on a 16-12-4 record and a +23 goal differential; (3) Lyon, with 56 points on a 15-11-6 record and a +24 goal differential; and (4) Paris Saint-Germain, with 53 points on a 14-11-7 record and a +14 goal differential.