The 8-0 slap inflicted by Nice on Saint-Etienne had set the tone on Friday evening. This 5th day of
Ligue 1 will perhaps be the most prolific of all, when the time comes to do the math. In any case, there was a scent of the end of the season floating around this Sunday, despite this autumn weather all over the country.
The day had started with a confirmation: AS Monaco will have to be reckoned with. After its gala victory against Barça on Thursday evening (2-1), the club from the Principality had the head and legs to string together another success, this time against Le Havre (3-1). Teze (9th), Ben Seghir (66th) and Balogun (70th) found the back of the net for ASM. Kouzyaïev’s equaliser had revived hope for HAC, but the gap was too great. Monaco joins PSG at the top of the standings.
Brest is launched, Montpellier unlocked
Another team involved in C1, Stade Brestois also made a good impression by holding its own against Toulouse (2-0), thanks to goals from reinforcements Mama Baldé (19th) and Faivre (90th+1). Eric Roy’s men thus complete a magnificent week and continue to give themselves some breathing room in the championship, with an 11th place which keeps them away from the red zone. Toulouse is thirteenth. Nantes, for its part, confirmed its slump by conceding a frustrating draw against the red lantern, its neighbor Angers (1-1). Abdelli responded with a penalty (24th) to Lepenant’s goal for the Canaries (18th).
If SCO remains the worst student at the start of the championship, the rankings will remind us that the 3 promoted teams are bringing up the rear, and this is perhaps no coincidence, given the current situation in the elite. Because Auxerre, Ligue 2 champion, also confirmed its limitations by losing to a Montpellier team on the brink of collapse (2-3). The Burgundians were prolific offensively, scoring through Traoré (18th) and Onaiwu (78th), but they were especially weighed down by a defense that was still too porous. A double from Adams (65th, 75th) and a goal from Sagnan (71st) brought joy to La Paillade. Stuck in the depths of the rankings, these two historic and endearing clubs have their work cut out for them.
