From a couple of four-goal thrillers to a no-score draw, there was a lot of action in Ligue 1 over the weekend.
Paris FC 2 – 2 Marseille
Third-place Marseille came out of the starting blocks as expected, pushing forward against the league’s newcomers and putting the ball into the back of their net after just 18 minutes and doubling their lead early into the second half. With Tim Weah starting on the right wing and playing 80 minutes, the early lead came from the penalty spot. Luca Koleosho was also in the starting line-up for PFC.
Mason Greenwood got hold of the ball in the 18-yard box and, as he went to flick it, Mustafa Mbow decided to stick out his hand. VAR said PK and the Englishman placed the ball on the spot and sent the keeper the wrong way.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang got the second, assisted by Greenwood, but after that, it all went wrong as the Parisians fought back to snatch a point. A 76th-minute Koleosho shot was tipped over the bar. Then, a free kick played into the box was not dealt with by the Marseille defense, thereby allowing Jonathan Ikone to get a free header and place it into the net.
The hosts had a few more chances where they really should have put this game out of reach. Still, in stoppage time, a ball into the box saw Marshall Munetsi jump to head it. Still, at the same time, goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli came out to bunch it, but only ended up punching the Zimbabwe international on the side of the head. The referee pointed to the spot, and Ilan Kebbal blasted it, sending the keeper the wrong way for his eighth Ligue 1 goal of the season.
Marseille will lick their wounds and prepare to return to Paris, this time taking on PSG, while the other Parisian team heads to Auxerre.
Monaco 4 – 0 Rennes
Folarin Balogun started up front for the Red and Whites, and although they breached the Rennes goal on four occasions, the American did not add to his season goal tally, although he did assist on the first goal. The American put in a 56-minute shift, being substituted due to an injury. Currently, the team has not reported on the extent of the injury or how long he will be out for.
The scoring got underway in the 33rd minute when Ansu Fati was set free and into the box by Balogun, and the man on loan from Barcelona easily slotted the ball through the keeper’s legs. A minute before the break, Balogun got off a shot from a tight angle, but the keeper managed to parry it out of harm’s way.
Five minutes after the restart, Maghnes Akliouche, who just entered the field, fed the ball to Kassoum Ouattara in the danger zone. The Frenchman’s shot was a good one, but it hit the near post and ended up at the feet of Akliouche for an easy tap-in.
Against the run of play, Mamadou Coulibaly raced forward and scored the third of the game, and the Belgian midfielder, Stanis Idumbo, got the fourth with a minute left on the clock.
Down in 10th place, Monaco will make the short trip to Nice over the weekend.
Lyon 1 – 0 Lille
Olympique Lyonnais’s Ligue 1 winner streak continues as they now have nine in a row and find themselves in contention for the French title, after their one-goal thriller against OSC Lille in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Tanner Tessmann played from the get-go and put in a commendable performance in the midfield in this game that was decided by a first-half strike.
Although the Dogues out-shot OL, 11 to four, although eight of those were from outside the box, the only one that matters is the one that goals into the back of the net, and it was Noah Nartey who achieved this in his first game for his new team, having just signed from Brondby last month.
The goal came against the run of play when Ruben Kluivert raced down the left wing past a couple of defenders, then placed the ball right in the center of the 18-yard box for the Dane to blast into the mouth of the goal. And although Lille pushed hard for an equalizer, the soccer gods were not on their side and ended up making the long journey home with no points in the bank.
On 39 points and holding down the fourth spot, Lyon will travel to Nantes over the weekend. The Canaries are struggling this season and find themselves in a relegation spot at the moment.
Toulouse 0 – 0 Auxerre
Mark McKenzie went the distance in his right back position when Auxerre came to town. The visitors frustrated les Violets, who were looking for their third consecutive win, but it was not to be. The highlight of the game was Santiago Hidalgo’s strike that ended up in the back of the AJA net, but VAR intervened and took it away.
Next up for the 8th-place boys in purple is a road trip to take on Angers, as they try to get back on track to finish in a European position by season’s end.
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