Though both scored in the Battle of the Yanks, Reyna came off injured and will remain sidelines for how long, nobody knows. Meanwhile McKenzie and Weah’s sides came out winners in Ligue 1 action.
Toulouse 3 – 1 Strasbourg
It this Ligue 1 Battle of the Yanks, Mark McKenzie‘s Toulouse hosted Gio Reyna’s Strasbourg and it was The Violets who came out on top. McKenzie started and scored; Reyna was subbed off in the 67th minute with a goal of his own.
After a boring 42 minutes in the fog infested Stadium de Toulouse where neither team had any clue where their opponent’s goal was, Santiago Hidalgo finally broke the deadlock in first half stoppage time after a few passes inside the box ended up at the feet of the Argentinian who put it into the back of the net while standing on the six-yard line. It was his first of the season for Toulouse.
Eleven minutes after the intermission, they doubled their lead when McKenzie came forward for a corner kick that Cristian Casseres placed on the New Yorker’s head to nod home from a couple yards out.
It took another 11 minutes for the next goal and this time it was thanks to Reyna, who pulled his team back into the game. The American started and finished the move, assisted by some hapless defending where he nutmegged his international teammate before slotting the ball home. A few minutes later, the former Dortmund man had to leave the field due to injury.
The revival was short-lived however because less than 10 minutes later, the home side were awarded another corner kick and this time it was Thomas Jorgensen who struck after the Strasbourg keeper’s feeble attempt to punch the ball out of harm’s way.
National leagues will be put on hold for a few weeks due to the international break, but when they do come back, McKenzie’s side will head to the frigid north to take on RC Lens, while Gio and company host Brest.
Rennes 1 – 2 Lille
Bryan Reynolds started and went the distance for Stade Rennes when they hosted the Dogues of Lille, but things didn’t go according to plan, as the visitor’s headed home with all the points in the bag.
Nineteen-year-old, Soriba Diaoune started the move just at the top of the box after 24 minutes and with the return pass, he struck it low inside the near post, just out of reach of the hapless Rennes’ keeper. Just past the half hour mark however, it was one-all when Lazio loanee, Boulaye Dia scored from close range.
The Boys from Brittany were losing again when a 68th minute Nathan Ngoy created a goal all by himself as he dribbled past defenders who were merely spectators and blasted the ball into the back of the net. It was the Belgian defender’s first goal of the 10-game old season.
Rennes will stay in Brittany after the break when they travel to take on Lorient.
Brest 2 – 0 Lyon
Tanner Tessmann started in the middle of the park for the Olympians when they travelled to Brest to take on the Pirates, but he could do little to help his side get anything out of the game, falling to a pair of goals in the French port city.
The hosts struck before and after the intermission to secure the victory. Noah Edjouma scored for the second time in back-to-back games in the 22nd minute, followed by a goal from the penalty spot in the 94th minute of the game by Ludovic Ajorque.
Now knocked down to fifth place, Lyon will have to travel north after the break to take on second place Lille.
Lens 1 – 2 Marseille
Captain Tim Weah and his Olympians from Marseille got a taste of victory over the weekend yet again and jumped up to fourth place after their road victory against the Blood and Gold of Lens over the weekend.
The visitors knew that their opponents were mentally in a bad place after their midweek thrashing by nine goals to one at the hands of Como in the Champions League and were aiming to kick them when they were down. And the Lens’ boys picked up where they left off, conceding a goal after 90 seconds due to some silly pass in their own third that Amine Gouiri pounced on and put into the back of an empty net.
To be fair, this game was nothing like the midweek fiasco but still, after Florian Thauvin tied things up at the 20-minute mark, an 82nd minute Keyliane Abdallah goal condemned them to another loss. Never mind.
After hanging out with his American colleagues, Weah will pit his side against Le Mans.
Notes:
Folarin Balogun came off the bench for Monaco in the 54th minute when the boys from the principality were up 1-0 thanks to a Mamadou Coulibaly strike five minutes before the intermission. The three points seemed to be heading south until Erwan Colas struck in stoppage time, denying Monaco their first win after remaining winless in their last five contests.
After the international break, Balogun’s boys will host Auxerre.