Until Sunday night, we nearly had a couple of unlikely league leaders at the top of Ligue 1. SM Caen and Stade de Reims both won their second games of the season, but the champions made sure they took control with a 2-0 win over Gazelec Ajaccio.
Goals were at a premium during Journée 2 – kicked off by Lille’s 0-0 draw away to Monaco. The situation was helped somewhat by Nice and Troyes’ goal-fest on Saturday, but 16 goals in total means overall it was tight and cagey as the sides find their feet this season.
The most heart-breaking moment of the weekend came at the Stade Roudourou in Guingamp – Claudio Beauvue, last season’s EAG hero, scored Lyon’s winning goal, but it was clear to see what the club meant to the Les Gones striker.
Goal: Guingamp 0-1 Lyon – Beauvue, who opts not to celebrate against his former side #EAGOL
— Mohammed Ali (@mohammedali_93) August 15, 2015
INJURY PROBLEMS MOUNT FOR MONACO
Leonardo Jardim has dealt a couple of injury worries ahead of Les Monegasques’ Champions League play-off against Valencia on Wednesday.
Both Layvin Kurzawa and Joao Moutinho were forced to leave the game against Lille early and although Kurzawa is just a doubt, the Portuguese midfielder is set to miss four to six weeks with a sprain to his right ankle.
The French left-back has also hurt his right ankle, but will be tested during the week. It is a blow to the side from the principality as both players have been in form during the early stages of the season.
FT. Finishes 1-1 between Saint-Etienne and Bordeaux. Hamouma and Saivet with the goals. Bordeaux had the chances to score more. #ASSEFCGB
— FFW (@FrenchFtWeekly) August 15, 2015
90+2' : BUTTT de Jonathan Martins Pereira POUR L'ESTAC ! ESTAC 3 – 3 OGC Nice #ESTACOGCN #L1 #J02
— ESTAC Troyes (@estac_officiel) August 15, 2015
PSG COMFORTABLE HOME WIN
It was billed as the David vs. Goliath story – the biggest budget in Ligue 1 against the smallest. Tiny Gazelec Ajaccio have an annual turnover of just under €14 million. That’s not enough to cover Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s wages.
Thierry Laurey set out his side to play 4-4-2 – looking to keep it tight with two banks of four. It worked for 11 minutes. A poor defensive header from Roderic Filippi was quickly snatched upon by Blaise Matuidi and the French midfielder smashed a left-footed shot into the top corner.
Thiago Silva made it 2-0 after meeting Thiago Motta’s corner perfectly, it was 2-0 at half-time and the game could have ended there. PSG knew the game was over. Le Gaz defended fairly well in the second half, but it was against a Parisian side in no more than second gear.
70' Buuuuuuut de @dam1dasilva qui reprend de la tête un bijou de coup-franc frappé par Julien Féret #SMCTFC 1-0
— SMC Officiel (@SMCaen_officiel) August 15, 2015
Merci à toutes et tous les spectateurs qui ont poussé derrière le SCO ce soir pour ce match nul 0 à 0 entre le SCO et le FCN. #SCOFCN
— Angers SCO (@sco_angers) August 15, 2015
THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE UGLY AT ROAZHON PARK
It’s rare that a game as insipid as Rennes v Montpellier on Saturday can throw up incidents that garnered so much social media attention over the course of the weekend. It was a classic case of the good, the bad and the ugly.
Let’s start with the good and by that I mean the wonderful goal from Kamil Grosicki. The Polish winger has struggled to hold down a starting place for Rennes and again was used as a substitute on Saturday evening. His effort in the 85th minute meant the first Ligue 1 goal at the newly named and refurbished Roazhon Park would live long in the memory. He cut in from the left and curled an effort from all of 25 yards. It hung high in the air for an eternity before dropping at the last second to nestle into the top corner. A beautiful goal which the Pole confirmed after the game he certainly meant.
Vidéo – Le but de Kamil Grosicki pour le Stade Rennais contre Montpellier en conditions live. http://t.co/ZLKUs0ZkKt
— ROUGE Mémoire – SRFC (@ROUGEmemoire) August 16, 2015
Next, the bad – and that was pretty much the rest of the game. Both teams struggled to create any clear opportunities with so much of the game spent with frustrating sideways football that lacked imagination.
Finally the ugly and for that we revisit an incident just on the stroke of half time. With a corner about to be taken, Giovanni Sio brushed, and we mean brushed, past Geoffrey Jourdren in the Montpellier goal. Jourdren, for reasons only he will know, chose to fall to the floor clutching his shoulder as though it had been disclocated. For a player who had previously bemoaned the lack of “characters” in the national team, this was not a good advert for him.
FT @FCLorientOff 1-1 @SCBastia – Moukandjo's penalty cancels out Ayite's opener. #FCLSCB
— FFW (@FrenchFtWeekly) August 16, 2015
THAUVIN TEASES AS TALK OF EXIT GATHER PACE
Taken from the Jose Mourinho book of deflection, the news of Marseille’s 1-0 defeat to Stade de Reims on Sunday was perfectly deflected by l’OM before the night was over.
After rumours that started in England, French Radio Station RMC reported that Newcastle United had tabled a €17 million bid for Florian Thavin, with Remy Cabella arriving on loan with an option to buy.
President Vincent Labrune was pictured sat deep in discussion with the winger after the defeat at the Stade Auguste Delaune – when in truth he could have sat beside him during the game and no one would have noticed.
Oh ce superbe but du malien Hamari Traoré (1992) pour le @StadeDeReims contre l’@OM_Officiel !!! https://t.co/evgINrTKgY
— EspoirsduFootball (@EspoirsduFoot) August 16, 2015
Hamari Traore scored the only goal of the game, condemning Marseille to their second defeat in a row. Whoever the new boss is, they need a N0.10 – bringing Cabella back and drawing a line under Thauvin represents great business for the club.
FT: Reims 1 – 0 OM, Hamari Traore's first half goal the decider as Romao is sent off as OM do not look in a happy place.
— FFW (@FrenchFtWeekly) August 16, 2015
The only way is up…
PREDICTIONS
Good week for Philippa, Arilas and Martha – once again she leads the way.