Ligue 1 Weekend Review

Sigh. Result of the week to Marseille.

There were more RCs and more high-scoring matches in Ligue 1 this week.

Aggression was the name of the game, as once again tempers flared in some matches, while others saw that energy channeled in destroying opponents on the scoresheet.

The result of the week clearly goes to Marseille, who manhandled Paris Saint-Germain to the tune of a 3-0 victory in Le Classique in front of delirious home support.

Saturday, November 26th:
Bordeaux 2-0 Caen – This match appeared even at first, but Caen managed to put only 1 shot on frame, allowing Les Girondins to complete their first home win of the season. Some early pressure from Bordeaux saw a shot from David Bellion well-saved by Caen GK Alexis Thebaux, with the rebound seeing Bellion send a volley wide of the mark. The opening goal came in the 59th minute when Yoan Gouffran finished off a good pass from Nicolas Maurice-Belay, with the next coming in the 79th minute after Caen defender Mollo Wague lost the ball to Anthony Modeste, who finished his gifted opportunity.

Nancy 1-2 Dijon – Early pressure from Dijon paid dividends, mostly due to the hard work of Brice Jovial who hit the post in the 7th minute. Just 10 minutes later Jovial was brought down in the box by Jordan Loties, and Eric Bautheac stepped up to finish off the resulting PK. Nancy equalized in the 26th minute when Djamel Bakar collected a pass from Bakaye Traore and unleashed a great shot. The second half saw increased pressure from Nancy, with Traore, Benjamin Moukandjo and Reynald Lemaitre all being denied. The match-winner arrived in the 83rd minute when Younousse Sankhare headed home a Thomas Guerbert corner.

Rennes 3-2 Evian – The match of the week saw a stunned Stade Rennais side have to come back from a deficit, with an entertaining final 15 minutes. An early header from Aldo Angoula had to be cleared off the line by Rennes defender Romain Danze, and the latter’s teammates broke through a few minutes later when Julien Feret dribbled the entire Evian defense and finished clinically. Feret was denied his brace in the 17th minute when his volley elicited an excellent save from Evian GK Bertrand Laquait, whose efforts were rewarded with the equalizer in the 19th minute as Yannick Sagbo’s headed pass was volleyed home by Cedric Barbosa. Evian took the lead in the 32nd minute when Yann M’Vila lost the ball to Daniel Wass, who slotted home. The second half began with Laquait having to be replaced by backup netminder Stephen Andersen, who was then beaten in the 77th minute by Youssouf Hadji during a goalmouth scramble. The turnaround was complete for Rennes in the 87th minute when Olivier Sorlin handled in the box, with Feret getting his brace on the resulting PK. Things seemed secure, but Rennes were down to 10 men in the 89th minute when Jean Kana-Biyik received a straight RC for fighting. That almost proved costly, as in the 90th minute a shot from Youssef Adnane required a good save from Rennes GK Benoit Costil to preserve the points.

Saint-Etienne 3-1 Ajaccio – Les Verts put forth yet another strong effort in this match, completely dominating the promoted side (59%-41% possession; 21-2 shots; 11-1 corner kicks; 33-4 crosses). The first goal, arriving in the 7th minute, was a bit of luck as the corner from Banel Nicolita was put in off the thigh of Max-Alain Gradel. Things could have been even worse in the 19th minute, if not for a fantastic double-save from Guillermo Ochoa on Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Nicolita. The lead was 2-0 in the 33rd minute when Florent Sinama-Pognolle volleyed home a cross from Aubameyang, and Ajaccio were down to 10 men shortly thereafter when Leyti N’Diaye received a straight RC for a nasty tackle on Sinama-Pognolle. The second half began with an attempted lob from Fabian Lemoine that was cleared off the line by Ajaccio midfielder Mehdi Mostefa. There was a spark of life in the 60th minute when Fousseni Diawara headed home a corner from Christian Kinkela, but Nicolita secured the full points in the 84th minute with a well-taken half-volley.

Sochaux 1-3 Montpellier – The southern side put together another fantastic performance, this one enough to take them to first place in Ligue 1. With the exception of a first-half volley from Edouard Butin that hit the crossbar, Les Lionceaux put almost no pressure on Montpellier GK Geoffrey Jourdren. The first goal came in the 50th minute when a poor clearance was headed back in by John Utaka, with Olivier Giroud finishing off the play. Sochaux equalized in the 84th minute when a Marvin Martin counter-attack was finished off by Abdoul Razzagui Camara, but Montpellier retook the lead in the 87th minute when Giroud had his brace on a counter-attack of his own, sending a lob over the head of a helpless Sochaux GK Teddy Richert. The prolific striker completed his hat-trick in the 89th minute on a pass from Younes Belhanda to secure the full points.

Toulouse 2-0 Valenciennes – Le TFC were dominant in this match, holding 81% of the possession and allowing Valenciennes only a single shot on frame. The first goal came in the 25th minute when a counter-attack from Antoine Devaux resulted in a pass for Paulo Machado that saw him beat 2 defenders and finish coolly. The sole opportunity for Valenciennes came in the 27th minute when a free-kick from Gael Danic drew a save from Toulouse GK Ali Ahamada. The remaining goal came in the 63rd minute when Devaux took the ball off Valenciennes midfielder Renaud Cohade, with Emmanuel Riviere and Moussa Sissoko then combining to feed Devaux for a well-struck volley.

Lille 2-0 Brest – Les Dogues were in charge for the majority of this match, easily handling Brest behind the excellent work of Eden Hazard. The latter saw his 5th-minute free-kick punched clear by Brest GK Steeve Elana, and in the 11th minute he started a play that found Dimitri Payet and Tulio de Melo in good combination for Payet to open the scoring. The first half ended with Hazard hitting the crossbar, but the second half opened with Brest’s best effort, as Nolan Roux saw his bicycle kick barely over that same crossbar. The goal in the 88th minute was a thing of beauty, as Hazard sent a pass to Florent Balmont, who flicked it back to Hazard for a cross that saw a wonderful volley from Moussa Sow.

Sunday, November 27th:
Auxerre 0-3 Lyon – Les Gones completely outclassed Auxerre, but the full points still weren’t enough to move into the Top 4. Lisandro Lopez opened the scoring in the 20th minute by heading home a cross from Michel Bastos. Just a minute later Auxerre had a shot for a PK turned down when Dennis Oliech was brought down under pressure from Lyon defender Dejan Lovren, and after a free-kick from Alain Traore was pushed over the crossbar by Lyon GK Hugo Lloris they saw no more opportunities. A shot from Bastos on the hour-mark was turned away by Auxerre GK Olivier Sorin, but he was beaten in the 68th minute when Jimmy Briand sprung the offside trap to feed Lisandro Lopez for his brace. Bastos got the goal he deserved in the 88th minute to complete the scoring, finishing off a pass form Kim Kallstrom.

Lorient 1-0 Nice – It took a while for things to get going in this match, with the first opportunity not coming until the 30th minute when Joel Campbell sent a shot spiraling wide of the mark. Nice then began to apply pressure through Fabian Monzon, whose free-kick before the half ended drew a good save from Lorient GK Fabien Audard, with his shot to open the second half cleared off the line by Lorient defender Lucas Mareque. On the hour-mark a cross from Giles Sunu saw Campbell send in a well-struck volley that drew a great save from Nice GK Raul Fernandez. Just 3 minutes later Sunu was fouled in the box by Nice defender Larrys Mabiala, and Arnold Mvuemba sent home the resulting PK for the only goal of the match. Nice should have split the points when Abraham Guie Gneki was free 1-on-1 with Audard in the 89th minute, but he contrived to shoot over the crossbar.

Marseille 3-0 Paris Saint-Germain – The home side held PSG to zero (0!) shots on target in an effort that sees the capital club without a win in their last 3 Ligue 1 matches. Facing off against their biggest rival on the road, with none of their supporters in attendance due to a ban on away support during Le Classique, PSG put on their worst display of the season. Things were difficult from the start, as in the 9th minute Cesar Azpilicueta raced down the touchline and sent in a cross that Loic Remy headed home brilliantly despite attention from 2 defenders. The best chance for PSG came shortly after that, with a shot from Mohamed Sissoko caroming off the post and taking a fortuitous (for L’OM) bounce off sprawled Marseille GK Steve Mandanda to be cleared by the defense. The remainder of the first half saw a more measured pace (although some chippy attitudes prevailed), but things started quickly after the break when in the 53rd minute Stephane Mbia sent his shot barely over the crossbar. Morgan Amalfitano doubled the lead in the 65th minute when he collected a pass from Jordan Ayew and finished with a shot to the far post. The latter then sent a volley wide of the mark in the 71st minute, but it was clear that another goal was coming. It arrived in the 84th minute when the PSG defense were once again left exposed as Andre Ayew headed home (albeit with a slight deflection). The victory in the biggest match of their campaign to date most likely has given embattled Marseille gaffer Didier Deschamps some room to breathe, although his position still remains tenuous.

www.todayfoot.com Mar 1-0 Par 27/11/2011 by todayfoot

So, after Matchday 15 we have: (1) Montpellier, with 33 points on a 10-3-2 record and a +15 goal differential; (2) PSG, with 30 points on a 9-3-3 record and a +11 goal differential; (3) Lille, with 28 points on a 7-7-1 record and a +11 goal differential; and (4) Rennes, with 28 points on an 8-4-3 record and a +8 goal differential.