Folarin Balogun continued finding the back of the net for Monaco, while a Battle of the Yanks ended in favor of Tim Weah and Marseille in Ligue 1 action.
PSG 1 – 3 Monaco
Folarin Balogun played for 80 minutes and scored yet again against Paris St Germain as the team from the principality travelled to the French capital and beat the French champions on Friday night.
Maghnes Akliouche got the scoring underway for the visitors, from deep inside the box with an assist from his American teammate after 27 minutes.
Ten minutes after the intermission, Aleksandr Golovin, who had just come off the bench to start the second half was celebrating his third goal of the season after some poor Parisian defending. Golovin could have scored a minute later with a fine strike from the edge of the box but a finer save by the PSG keeper denied the Russian.
A slight deflection off of Bradley Barcola’s shot was enough to wrong-foot the Monaco keeper and allow the Frenchman to score his 10th of the season, giving PSG a lifeline. But it turned out to be too little, too late.
Playing in his 100th Ligue 1 game, Balogun received the ball in the attacking third after Akliouche dispossessed Korean international, Lee Kang-in and slid the ball to the American who fired from the top left of the box, a shot that took a slight deflection, taking away any chance of the keeper saving it. This was not only his third goal in three games but also his 39th league goal.
The win keeps Monaco in seventh place, just a point behind Lille and a European place. Next up, Monaco hosts Brest.
Toulouse 0 – 1 Marseille
It was another Battle of the Yanks in Ligue 1, this time Mark McKenzie and Toulouse up against visiting Tim Weah and Marseille. Both men started for their respective teams and went the distance. For Weah, it was a good day as his team came out on top, thanks to an 18th minute Mason Greenwood strike.
Greenwood had an earlier chance froma free kick, but his effort sailed just wide of the near post. A couple of minutes later the Englishman got the ball just inside the 18-yard box and blasted it into the back of the Toulouse net for his 20th strike of the season. The former Manchester United striker is currently Ligue 1’s most prolific goal scorer for the season.
A sloppy Toulouse backpass almost resulted in another one for the visitors but Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s shot from the middle of the box was pushed out of harm’s way by the Violets‘ keeper.
Yann Gboho should have done better just after the intermission, but when he got the ball in the box with space around him, the Frenchman could only bounce his effort off the cross bar. Then in stoppage time, Weah broke free on the right flank, raced down the field and picked out Igor Paixão who dribbled and shot from inside the box but tired legs prevented him from scoring his sixth goal of the season.
Holding onto third place, the Olympians will next host relegation threatened Auxerre at the Stade Velodrome. Toulouse will head to Metz and hope to break their two-game losing streak.
Lyon 1 – 1 Paris FC
Olympique Lyon left it very late, having to come from behind against the Ligue 1 newcomers who made the trip from the French capital on Sunday afternoon and had to leave with a disappointing solitary point. Tanner Tessmann was in the starting line-up and put in a 65-minute shift. Luca Koleosho came off the bench for Paris in the 73rd minute.
Seventeen minutes into the game, the first shot was taken, and it was by Tessmann, who found space around 20 yards out. His effort was not a very convincing one, with keeper Kevin Trapp easily scooping it up. French teenaged midfielder, Khalis Merah later in the half got a shot off but his missed the target, curling wide of the far post.
Nigerian international, Moses Simon’s shot was decent, but the keeper held onto it just the same. And with chances coming at both ends, it was Paris who broke the deadlock when Rudy Matondo’s shot was pushed away by the keeper and fell to Marshall Munetsi, who is on loan from Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Zimbabwean’s quick reaction put the ball into the back of the net from close range, but the dreaded offside flag went up immediately. VAR got involved and the goal stood.
The Parisians should have doubled their lead in stoppage time but instead, Endrick who just came off the bench fired a fine shot but again, the keeper was up to the task. It didn’t matter because a minute later the hosts were awarded a penalty kick due to a defensive handball in the box. Although Trapp guess the right way, Corentin Tolisso still managed to squeeze it between the German and the post.
Up next for Tessmann’s team will be a trip to Normandy to take on Le Havre.
