Top 5 Ligue 1 Goals of the Weekend

It was a massive weekend of Ligue 1 action as Paris Saint-Germain finally moved clear of the chasing pack thanks to Lille’s superb 3-1 victory in Lyon.

That followed PSG’s 3-1 win over Bastia on Friday night and Marseille’s 1-1 draw in Annecy against Evian.

Saint-Etienne’s impressive form continued, they dismantled defending champions Montpellier at home 4-1, and Reims scored a massive win over relegation rivals Nancy after coming from a goal down.

In amongst that action were some superb goals as Ligue 1 continues to prove that low-scoring encounters of questionable entertainment value are becoming a thing of the past in France.

Here they are.

Wahbi Khazri

This one came out of the blue.

PSG were 2-0 up at home to Bastia, en route to an eventual 3-1 win, but with seven minutes to go did not expect the Corsicans to get themselves back into the game. They did, and it was an incredible strike from substitute Wahbi Khazri.

The Tunisian international launched a thumping free kick from over 30 yards out that arced over Salvatore Sirigu and destroyed the Italian’s chances of extending his unbeaten record at 949 minutes.

David Beckham would have been proud of scoring that one at the Parc des Princes.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang

One of Ligue 1’s undoubted star talents and coveted by clubs all over Europe, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is back amongst the goals after a mini-drought.

Against defending champions Montpellier he bagged his 11th goal in 23 appearances, and it epitomises everything that is good about Auba.

A player with an eye for the spectacular, les Verts’ star man didn’t fail to impress.

Ricardo Faty

AJ Ajaccio inflicted a painful defeat on Bordeaux thanks to Ricardo Faty’s second goal of the season.

What a goal it was, though.

Famed more for the defensive side of his game than his prowess in front of goal, the 26-year-old midfielder’s acrobatic effort earned his side three precious points in the battle against relegation.

Bordeaux had been flying high in fourth until another fruitless trip to Corsica, Faty securing an impressive second consecutive win for les Ours after beating Lyon last weekend.

Andre-Pierre Gignac

Marseille have struggled of late, and Andre-Pierre Gignac’s impressive form from the start of the season seems just a distant memory now. However, he was at his best to find the net against Evian.

OM’s fall from title contention in recent weeks has coincided with Gignac’s struggles since returning from injury. That said, he still has eight goals from 17 Ligue 1 appearances.

This one was one of his better strikes this season, but coach Elie Baup needs him to be doing it with greater consistency right now

Floyd Ayite

Nancy and Reims met on Saturday in a key battle at the foot of the Ligue 1 table.

A win for the hosts would have dragged Reims into the mire, but equally Hubert Fournier’s side were looking to put Nancy back under pressure by destroying their mini revival.

They got their wish; after going a goal down, Reims fought back to win 2-1. The key goal was the equaliser scored by Floyd Ayite, and what a finish it was.

The Togolese does not score many, but he picked the right time to score. Nancy’s woes worsen, and defender Sebastien Puygrenier’s status as the club’s top scorer this season with four goals tells its own story.

Lucas Mareque

An honourable mention, this one.

Argentine defender Lucas Mareque does not score many goals, but he showed remarkable composure and prowess in front of goal to score for Lorient against Nice at the weekend.