Ligue 1 Mid-Week Review

Result of the week goes to Auxerre, for embarrassing Lyon 4-0.

HA! You didn’t realize that there were Ligue 1 games midweek, did you?

With the exception of a dire nil-nil draw between Toulouse and Valenciennes, this week’s matches featured goals galore and some result that have cleared up the mess at the top of the table.

Lille strengthened their grip on first-place, while PSG closed the gap slightly with Lyon for the final Champions League spot.

The result of the week goes to Auxerre, who helped out PSG with a 4-0 dismantling of Les Gones (insert Nelson Muntz laugh here).

Tuesday, May 10th:

Paris Saint-Germain 2-2 Nancy – The club from the capital will be disappointed to only come away with the draw here, although that result still allowed them to make up ground on Lyon for the final Champions League spot. The action got underway almost immediately, as in the 4th minute Giuly raced down the right and sent in a cross that was turned in by an excellent header from Erdinq. However, the elation was short-lived as they went down to 10 men in the 20th minute when Jallet received a straight RC for fouling Feret as the last defender when the latter had a clear goal-scoring opportunity, with N’Guemo sending home the resulting PK. Despite their advantage, the only other opportunity of the half for Nancy saw a shot from Traore easily taken by PSG GK Coupet in the 26th minute. The latter’s teammates stole the momentum going into the break when Camara finished off a pass from Hoarau in first-half stoppage-time. The second half saw the action move swiftly to both ends of the pitch, with Nene shooting wide in the 49th minute and Berenguer forcing a good save from Coupet just a few minutes later. After Hoarau hit the post near the hour-mark, Nancy equalized again with a header from Hadji on a cross from Berenguer in the 68th minute. The sides were even in numbers in the 71st minute when Lemaitre saw his 2nd YC for a bad challenge on Chantome, and the lone remaining chance of the match saw a free-kick from Nene hit the crossbar.

Saint-Etienne 1-2 Lille – This match was fairly even statistically, but in the end it was too much pressure from Les Dogues that saw them take a vital 3 points in their march to the title. It was Les Verts who got off to the better start, as in the 5th minute a shot from Batlles was turned away by Lille GK Landreau only to fall to the feet of Riviere for the follow-up. However, that lead lasted only 10 minutes as de Melo sent home a vicious volley on a cross from Beria. Saint-Etienne missed the opportunity to regain the lead in the 18th when Riviere was taken down in the box by Chedjou, with Sako sending the resulting PK wide of the mark. That inspired Lille for the remainder of the half, and de Melo hit the post with a header while Hazard was denied by ASSE GK Janot. The latter denied Hazard twice more shortly after the restart, after which the pace of the match slowed somewhat. In what proved to be the final good opportunity for either side, Lille stole the full points in the 67th minute when a hard shot from Mavuba took a deflection off ASSE defender Monsoreau.

Wednesday, May 11th:

Auxerre 4-0 Lyon – Les Gones were embarrassed by Auxerre in a match that effectively ends any hopes for a title as they sank to a 10-point deficit at the top of the table. They were on the back foot immediately, as in the 3rd minute Oliech sent a shot barely wide in a signal of intent. Auxerre were put off their pace a bit in the 11th minute when Jelen went off injured after a foul by Gomis, but they recovered quickly with Birsa forcing a save from Lyon GK Lloris on the subsequent free-kick. After Bastos sent an effort wide of the mark, Oliech opened the scoring on an excellent through-ball from Ndinga in the 20th minute (winning the GSTGC award in the process). The first respectable chance for Lyon came in the 43rd minute, which saw Pjanic denied by Auxerre GK Sorin, but that was followed by Traore heading home a cross from Hengbart in first-half stoppage-time for the 2-0 lead. Traore completed his brace shortly after the restart, finishing off a through-ball from Contout in the 50th minute. A frustrated Claude Puel made some substitutions which proved useful, as Lacazaette and Grenier went close with headed efforts, but the destruction was complete in the 79th minute when Hengbart sent home a cross from Sidibe. Things could have been even worse for Lyon, but Hengbart’s shot in the 90th minute sailed over the crossbar.

Lens 1-0 Bordeaux – A rudderless Bordeaux side managed a decent effort, but their 10 corner kicks and 15 shots (albeit only 3 of those on frame) proved fruitless as they went down to a late goal. It took a while to get going for both sides, and the first chance didn’t come until a shot from Diabate in the 21st minute that was turned away by Lens GK Kasraoui. The former then found the back of the net in the 24th minute, but the goal was disallowed for a foul prior to the shot. The second half saw Jussie determined to put Bordeaux ahead, but he was denied twice, first by Kasraoui and then by his own inability to put a header on frame. Jussie’s efforts should have borne fruit in the 78th minute when he was brought down in the box by Lens defender Aurier, but the resulting PK from Modeste was saved by Kasraoui (maybe Jussie should have taken it himself). The match-winner arrived in the 86th minute, with Hermach finding the back of the net on a free-kick that left Bordeaux GK Carrasso helpless.

Montpellier 3-1 Lorient – Despite the number of goals, this proved to be somewhat of a listless match, perhaps due to the dominance on display by Montpellier. Early proceedings saw a free-kick from Kitambala go woefully wide of the mark, while Gameiro was stopped relatively easily by Montpellier GK Jourdren. Lorient took a deserved lead in the 22nd minute when Ecuele Manga headed home a free-kick from Amalfitano, but after that they succumbed overwhelming pressure. The equalizer came in the 26th minute after some good work from Koita saw him send in a cross that was finished off by Giroud. The next goal for Montpellier came quickly after the restart, with a free-kick from Dernis flicked on by Camara for a clinical finish from Estrada. The final goal arrived in the 64th minute when the defense failed to adequately clear a corner kick from Dernis, resulting in a fantastic volley from Saihi.

Nice 3-2 Arles – Although Nice had far more offensive opportunities (17 shots, with 8 on frame, compared to only 8 shots, with 2 of those on target), Arles made things interesting with an effort that belies their relegation status. The coastal side looked to press early, with a free-kick from Ljuboja in the 7th minute well-saved by Arles GK Merville. After a shot from ben Saada that went wide of the mark, another effort from Ljuboja drew a fantastic save from Merville. Ljuboja was finally rewarded for his persistence in the 31st minute when his header on a cross from Mouloungui hit the crossbar and found its way to the back of the net. However, Arles struck back in the 39th minute in equally fortuitous circumstances, with Cabella having his shot deflected off Nice defender Pejcinovic for the equalizer. Nice reasserted themselves in the 55th minute when a shot from ben Saada was turned away by Merville only for the rebound to fall to Clerc for the relatively easy finish. The lead was 3-1 in the 76th minute when a ball over the top from the busy ben Saada found Ljuboja for his brace. The final tally came in stoppage time when Cabella took down a cross from Ghilas and turned well to fire home.

Rennes 1-1 Caen – Rennes dominated the match (64% of the possession, 19 shots on goal) but only came away with the shared points for their trouble, continuing their recent run of disappointing results. Their first efforts put their profligacy on display, with Montano sending a shot wide and Kana-Biyik hitting the crossbar. After Yatabare skimmed the post at the other end of the pitch, Rennes were more accurate, with Tettey and Montano both forcing saves from Caen GK Thebaux. That pressure provided results in the 44th minute when Mangane finished off a good pass from Leroy for the lead. That was quickly relinquished after the break when Niang down a cross from El Arabi for a close-range finish in the 54th minute, giving the 16 year-old 2 tallies in his first 2 matches. With the draw in place, both sides seemed incapable of getting the match-winner, with Dalmat hitting the post and Mollo shooting wide.

Sochaux 3-0 Monaco – In a result that send Sochaux closer to European competition and Monaco closer to relegation, Les Lionceaux benefited from a good offensive spell over 10 minutes in the first half. the club from the principality started more quickly, with a free-kick from Haruna that drew a save from Sochaux GK Richert, but the latter’s counterpart, Monaco GK Chabbert, was then helpless in the 22nd minute when a cross-cum-shot from Sauget drifted into the back of the net. Just 2 minutes later the lead was doubled as Maiga headed home a cross from Martin, after which Monaco saw shots from Haruna and Gosso go wide of the mark. The second half proved mostly tame, with the only good opportunity resulting in a goal in the 82nd minute when some good work from Maurice-Belay was finished off by Boudebouz.

Toulouse 0-0 Valenciennes – This match so even statistically that it manifested as the snoozer of the week, with sides combined for the same number of YCs as shots on frame. In the 11th minute Dossevi shaved the crossbar with a free-kick, while at the other end of the pitch Sissoko sent his volley well over. Just before the break Kadir saw his shot turned away by Toulouse GK Ahamada, and Valenciennes GK Penneteau watched a shot from Machado sail wide to open the second stanza. The best opportunity for either side came in the 68th minute when Danic was in 1-on-1 with Ahamada, but the former contrived to shot wide of the mark.

Marseille 3-0 Brest – Marseille took a vital 3 points in a dominant display (holding 63% of the possession and taking 14 shots), but they have only 3 matches remaining to make up their 4-point deficit at the top of the table. The match began with a seemingly-revitalized Roux running onto a long ball, only to be tracked down from behind by Marseille defender Heinze. L’OM opened the scoring in the 12th minute when a great pass from Cheyrou found Remy in space, with the latter dribbling and finishing clinically. In the 27th minute Roux sent in an excellent volley that drew a good save from Marseille GK Mandanda, who then watched Ferradj send an effort into the side-netting to end the half. The second half began with a shot frmo Andre Ayew that was turned away by Brest GK Elana, but the latter was unable to stop the former’s brother, Jordan, from finishing off yet another excellent pass from Cheyrou in the 59th minute. The final goal came in the 81st minute when Heinze was rewarded for all of his hard work with a brilliant free-kick that soared into the net.

So, after Matchday 35 the top of the table looks like this: (1) Lille, with 69 points on a 19-12-4 record and a +30 goal differential; (2) Marseille, with 65 points on an 18-11-6 record and a +23 goal differential; (3) Lyon, with 59 points on a 16-11-8 record and a +19 goal differential; and (4) Paris Saint-Germain, with 58 points on a 15-13-7 record and a +16 goal differential.