Week of January 28 - February 5

SCORES

----------------------------------------------------

Ligue 1

February 3

Lille 0-0 Nantes
Nancy 2-1 Toulouse
Lorient 2-1 Le Mans
Monaco 2-1 Auxerre
Nice 2-1 Bordeaux
Sochaux 0-0 Rennes
St. Etienne 1-2 Sedan
Valenciennes 1-3 Lens

February 4

Troyes 1-0 Lyon
Marseille 1-1 PSG

----------------------------------------------------

Nantes, who have had little in the way of luck this season, made the trip to visit Les Dogues in Lille. Nantes needed every single point they could get, as their struggle this season has put them at risk of finishing in the top flight. Lille had come back into form to sit in second place after their win against Bordeaux last week, and they now sat 13 points back of Lyon, who hadn’t won in three matches. The goal-posts were the enemy of the home side on the day, who rattled them three times. Lille had the bulk of the chances, and Nantes were lucky to keep this match to a nil-nil draw. The result suited Nantes much better than Lille though, as Lille move down to 3rd, and Nantes can be happy with a point taken from a top side.

Nancy were the new team in trouble this past week after their 2-0 loss to Auxerre on Sunday. The result saw them fall all the way to 12th in the standings, their worst position in months. Toulouse were thwarted by a resilient Troyes last week, a match that ended one-all and saw them stay in their 8th place position. Gaston Curbelo started off the scoring 15 minutes in, giving Nancy the early lead in an otherwise uneventful first half. In the 55th minute Toulouse striker Pavel Fort was sent off, and Nancy used the advantage to score another in the 77th minute. Former Lyon striker Bryan Bergougnoux got one back as time expired for the visitors, but it was too late as Nancy won 2-1.

Lorient were back at home Saturday with Le Mans coming to visit. The home side’s trip to Nantes the week before had been fruitful, with that match ending 2-0. Le Mans had a great result as well, beating Marseille by the same scoreline in a match that Marseille were widely expected to win. A relatively uneventful first half ended with a Le Mans goal from striker Grafite, a goal that surely sent the visitors hopeful into the dressing room. Unfortunately for them, defender Yannick Fischer’s blundering own goal just after the half turned the tide in Lorient’s favour. As the game was about to expire, Lorient striker Steve Marlet sealed the deal and made the final scoreline in this one 2-1. Lorient move up to their highest position ever, 7th, and Le Mans drop to 12th.

Monaco had gotten back on the horse after losing to Rennes by beating Sedan last weekend, a result that saw them move into 14th and holding. Monaco were now 6 points out of relegation danger, but would need to keep stringing results together to stay contenders. Auxerre, on the other hand, had been solidly mid-table, but a big result might move them into the top half. Unfortunately it was not to be for the visitors, who saw Serge Gakpe put one past them in the 37th minute. Things went from bad to worse in the second half, as Auxerre gave away a penalty, which Monaco promptly converted. Big scorer Kanga Akale got one back for Auxerre, but the day saw them drop to 14th, and Monaco leapfrogged them into 13th.

Nice were the latest team to shock Lyon when they held the Champions to a draw at the Stade Gerland last weekend, a result that surely sent Lyon reeling and saw them take only 1 point out of a possible 9 in their last three matches. Nice still had much work to do though, their 17 points were only enough to give them 19th place, and the day saw them 4 points back of safety. The Girondins had a disappointing home match against Lille last week that saw them slip to 7th and further and further away from Europe. A first half brace from Nice’s Brazilian midfielder Ederson made their case very clear. Bordeaux’ Jean Micoud scored before the whistle, but it was all they could muster. Bordeaux’ free fall continues as they find themselves in 9th now, and Nice, still in 19th, at least have three more points to argue their case with.

Sochaux were the hosts to Rennes at the Stade Bonal in a match that saw Sochaux still in striking distance of a European place, but they would have to deal with in-form Rennes to do it. Rennes had bested Valenciennes the week previous in a hard-fought match at Orient Road, a result that had gotten them back into the top half of the table. These two sides had nothing between them however, and each gains a point for the nil-nil draw. Sochaux’ Point enabled them to move up into 5th, while Rennes stay in 10th on the day.

St. Etienne had had a tough match last week as well, a 3-3 goalfest vs. Lens in which they gave up three unanswered goals against the 3rd place side. St. Etienne, on form of late, now sat in 5th, just shy of a European spot. This week’s matchup with Sedan was a bit of an easier one, as Sedan have been the league’s favorite whipping-boys this season, losing 11 of their 22 matches. St. Etienne striker Bafetimbi Gomis netted his 5th of the year just 9 minutes in to make this one look like a walk in the park for the home side. Sedan came out of the dressing room ant halftime with other things on their minds however, and their go-to guy, Joseph-Desire Job, struck things level three minutes into the second half. St. Etienne pressed hard, but a fatal mistake by their defense led to an own goal which ended up being all Sedan needed to come away with just their third win of the season. St. Etienne drop to 6th in their second loss in as many weeks.

Lens fought back valiantly last week vs. St. Etienne, and they saw themselves just one point back of second place Lille, and were looking to get back into the form they had been in earlier in the season. Valenciennes had been handed a loss to Rennes recently, and their 15th place position meant they really needed at least a point in this match in front of the fans. Lens came out flying however, and showed their dominance with two first half goals from Eric Carriere and Seydou Keita. In fact, the home side’s only slip up was in giving away a penalty, which Steve Savidan happily converted. Lens wouldn’t stop scoring however, and Issam Jomaa got his 3rd of the season to make the final score 1-3, and giving Lens the 2nd place spot yet again. Valenciennes stay in 15th.

The question was on everybody’s mind, “Will Troyes be the 5th team to upset Lyon this season?” Resent history suggested not, but last week’s draw with Nice was certainly not a result typical of Lyon, and neither were the losses to Bordeaux and Toulouse. Troyes still sat only one point above relegation territory, and would need at least a point to keep out. Lyon’s performance was dominating, as the Troyes defense was breached time and time again, only to see Lyon thwarted by a lack of finishing. The visitors wold rue their missed opportunites, as Troyes’ Benjamin Nivet scored just on the verge of time expiring to give them the win. A shocked Lyon drop points again, and have not won a match in the new year, while Troyes leapfrog PSG into the 16th place spot, and out of relegation territory for now.

Perhaps the marquee match of the week was the clash between Marseille and Paris Saint-Germain at the Stade Velodrome. Another loss could conceivably plunge PSG into the depths of basement hell, and their form of late suggested this could easily be the case. Marseille slipped up against Le Mans last week, but in general have been in fine form and were unlikely to lose at home against one of the poorest teams in the league. Marseille had the bulk of the chances all match, and were finally rewarded with a well-deserved goal when Djibril Cisse popped one in in the 69th minute. PSG leveled up on a Pauleta strike 5 minutes later, but it was all the visitors could do to get the point and escape Marseille with tails between their legs. PSG sit one point above the drop, and Marseille now sit in 5th.