PSG return to winning ways
It was the first time in three years that Paris Saint-Germain had lost back-to-back games, as they were beaten in a week by Strasbourg and Bayern Munich. However, they were able to win again as they defeated an in-form Lille 3-1, with Neymar suspended.
Goals either side of the break from Argentines’ Angel Di Maria and Javier Pastore gave PSG a 2-0 lead. Anwar El Ghazi pulled one back for Lille with four minutes remaining to make it a nervous finish for the Parisians.
Goalkeeper Mike Maignan came up for a Lille corner in stoppage time, but was left ruing the decision as PSG broke away. Kylian Mbappe outpaced three defenders to roll the ball into the empty net.
“When I hear people say PSG are in crisis - lots of coaches would like to be in a crisis like that. They are a formidable team even when they are not playing so well,” said Lille’s Fernando Da Cruz after the game.
Monaco make comeback
Monaco came from two goals down to beat Troyes 3-2, with all three goals arriving in the final 20 minutes. Goalkeeper Danijel Subasic was twice at fault, as Suk Hyun-Jun profited from the mistakes on both occasions.
The South Korean forward now has five goals in his last six appearances, whilst he was impressive throughout the encounter. An own goal from Mathieu Deplagne gave Leonardo Jardim’s side hope and then two goals from substitute Guido Carrillo in the final five minutes ensured a dramatic turnaround.
“There was lots of emotion and lots of goals, a great fightback and great spirit shown by the players,” admitted Jardim. “It is a shame that we were so naive,” added Troyes coach Jean-Louis Garcia.
“We lacked bottle, maturity. We need to grow up and make sure this doesn't happen again in the second half of the season.”
Marseille put three past sorry Saint-Etienne
Valere Germain scored twice as Marseille beat Saint-Etienne 3-0. Ronael Pierre Gabriel’s red card just after half-time certainly didn’t help matters for Julien Sable’s side.
Lucas Ocampos added a third with 10 minutes left to keep Marseille level with Monaco and Lyon in the chasing pack. They have lost just once in their last 13 matches in all competitions.
Marseille also look a lot stronger defensively, after conceding six to Monaco and three against Rennes earlier in the campaign. They have conceded only four goals in their last 10 matches.
Aouar becomes the latest French midfielder off the production line
A brace from 19-year-old Houssem Aouar allowed Lyon to beat Amiens 2-1. The home side had initially taken the lead through Serge Gakpe and former Chelsea midfielder Gael Kakuta also went close by hitting the woodwork.
It was Lyon’s fifth successive win on the road in the league and they have the greatest away record in the division. Mannager Bruno Genesio deserves a huge amount of credit for turning the situation around when he looked destined for the sack just two months ago.
Strasbourg are getting stronger
Strasbourg may have ridden their luck in the 2-1 win over PSG last weekend, but they showed there was more to their game plan at the Matmut Atlantique in the Friday night match. They beat a stunned Bordeaux 3-0 to make it three victories from their last five.
Last year’s Ligue 2 winners are really finding their feet in France’s top flight and have been beaten just once in their previous 10 fixtures in the league. Strasbourg striker Stephane Bahoken netted in his fourth consecutive start in all competitions in only the second minute.
Dimitri Lienard scored a stunning free-kick to double the away side’s advantage and chose to celebrate it with his bench. Martin Terrier completed an impressive individual performance and the scoring with their third.
Honourable mentions
Nice beat Nantes 2-1, as Lucien Favre’s team won for the third consecutive match in the league. Mario Balotelli scored the winner and now has seven goals in his last eight starts.
The Italian striker is back to his best and has nine Ligue 1 goals this term. He has 14 goals for the season and Nice are now just four points from fifth position.
