Lyon Demolish Montpellier: Winners and Losers from Week 10 in Ligue 1
What a fantastic weekend in Ligue 1. It started with a bang–sorry Edinson Cavani–and ended with one of the biggest victories of the season as Lyon extracted some revenge on Montpellier for last season's 5-1 defeat at the Stade de la Mosson.
Over the 10 games we enjoyed 23 goals, four red cards and surprisingly only three home wins.
Only five of the teams in Ligue 1 failed to score this weekend, with FC Metz and Rennes playing out the only goalless draw of match day 10.
"27 - The game between @FCMetz_officiel & @staderennais is the 0-0 with the most shots in Ligue 1 this season: 27 shots, 0 goal. Blanks.
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) October 18, 2014"
Guingamp and Bastia were the only two in the bottom six to win, moving them both out of the drop zone. However, only three points separates 14th to 20th. We have a long, long way to go before this table starts to make more sense.
Here are the winners and losers from Week 10 in Ligue 1.
Winners: Saint-Etienne
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Some clubs find it hard to get back into a rhythm after the international break and Saint-Etienne are no different. It took them until the 87th minute to find a breakthrough against Lorient, but it was well worth the wait, with the three points taking them up to fifth in the league.
Fabien Lemoine’s strike means that Les Verts keep in touch with Paris Saint-Germain at the top end of the table. They have 17 points from the opening 10 games and it snapped their run of two games without a win.
They travel to Italy this week to face Inter Milan on Thursday night in the San Siro, and then they host Metz back at the Stade Geoffrey-Guichard next Sunday. That will be another chance for them to move up the table.
Christophe Galtier is quietly going about his business this season. Saint-Etienne are contenders for the top three, but the team getting the least attention. Galtier will hope it stays that way.
Losers: Edinson Cavani
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On one side, Edinson Cavani will be happy he broke his scoring duck, converting the penalty that gave Paris Saint-Germain a 3-1 lead against RC Lens in the Stade de France, but moments later he would see red for two very quick yellow cards.
The first was given to the Uruguayan striker after he wheeled out his customary sniper celebration after dispatching the spot-kick. This is something that he has done plenty of times in the league before, but never been handed a yellow card.
This time it was in front of the home Lens fans, so in the letter of the law, Nicolas Rainville was right to brandish the card.
Bemused by the situation, Cavani grabbed the referee’s arm to protest, and let Rainville know how upset he was at the decision. Again, this is something you can’t do in a game, especially putting his hand on the referee.
PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi certainly didn’t agree with what happened, speaking to Canal+ via ESPN FC.
"Cavani does not deserve that red card. And why has he got a yellow before? He always does the same celebration.
This is not normal and it is not good for French football if we want to develop. It is a bad situation for everyone.
"
We may not agree with the rules of the game, but they are there to be followed. Common sense would dictate that Cavani shouldn’t have been booked for the celebration, but after he was given the yellow, his reaction deserved the second booking.
The argument from a PSG point-of-view will be that without the first card, the second doesn’t happen. Unfortunately, as it wasn’t a straight red, Cavani cannot appeal and will miss next weekend’s game against Bordeaux.
Winners: Andre-Pierre Gignac
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After a man of the match performance for France against Armenia, Marseille striker Andre-Pierre Gignac continued where he left off for his country by scoring the second as Marseille ran out 2-0 winners over Toulouse on Sunday afternoon.
It wasn’t the best ever game you will see from the Marseille No. 9, but when his club needed him, he was in the right position. The cross came in from the left-foot of Benjamin Mendy and after a deflection; Gignac swept it home from just outside the six-yard-box.
"10 - @10APG is the 1st French player to have scored 10+ goals after 10 Ligue 1 games since Karim Benzema in 2007/08. Internationals.
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) October 19, 2014"
That is the striker’s 10th goal in just 10 league games. He is the top scorer in Ligue 1 and he is just brimming with confidence. The win was Marseille’s eighth in a row and it keeps them top of the league, seven points clear of PSG.
Losers: Lille OSC
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On Saturday night, according to WhoScored, Lille had 29 shots in the game against Guingamp. In a game that they dominated, they only managed to put 10 of those shots on target and in the end lost 2-1.
It is a problem that has plagued Lille all season. Indeed, only five of the shots on target came from inside the box. With over 70 percent possession and 29 shots, it highlights Lille’s struggles in front of goal.
For all the possession and pressure, Rene Girard’s men lack a cutting edge in the final third.
There is only so much a great defence can achieve, if you can’t put the ball in the net, you are going to make your own problems.
If Les Dogues want to finish in the top five this season, they need to find a way to turn domination into goals, or results like Saturday’s will start to happen regularly.
Winners: EA Guingamp
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When you’ve lost four games in a row, conceded 13 goals and sit bottom of the table, the last place you want to go is to face a side with one of the best defences in the league.
For Guingamp, it seemed to inspire them and although Lille had more chances and controlled possession, it was Guingamp that proved to be the more clinical of the two sides.
Claudio Beauvue headed home at the back post to put the away side 1-0 up in the first half. Then Ronnie Schwartz made it 2-0, when he tucked away Sylvain Marveaux’s excellent through pass.
Lille got one back late on, but Guingamp held on to lift themselves off the bottom of the Ligue 1 table and boost their mood before their away trip to Dinamo Minsk on Thursday.
Losers: Cedric Carrasso
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On Sunday afternoon, Bordeaux led Caen 1-0 at home after the first 45 minutes. They had been somewhat lucky to hold the lead, when a fortunate handball decision against Jean Calve helped Cheick Diabate open the scoring from the penalty spot.
In the second half, Caen lost winger Fode Koita due to injury, Herve Bazile came on and was very active in getting down the Caen left and delivery some excellent left-foot crosses.
With 13 minutes left, he constant attacking got the better of Bordeaux goalkeeper Cedric Carrasso.
The ‘keeper was obviously expecting another cross from Bazile, but the forward saw Carrasso move too early off his line, and fired the ball into the huge gap and levelled the scores.
"11 - Bordeaux have not kept a clean sheet at home in their last 11 league games. Holes.
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) October 19, 2014"
It was a bizarre piece of goalkeeping from the former France international, over-committing to the cross gave Bazile the easiest of chances.
Winners: Claude Makelele
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It has not been the ideal start to managerial life for Claude Makelele. One win and a draw in the first three games were followed by six games without a win.
The crowd at the Stade Armand Cesari was starting to turn on the former PSG and Chelsea midfielder, but Saturday’s win away at Nice will take some of the immediate pressure off the 41-year-old coach.
It was a game dominated by the home side; Nice out-shot Bastia 19-3 and had 66.5 percent possession. Bastia managed to hang in and keep the game goalless, waiting for their chance.
When the chance came, it was a mistake from veteran defender Souleymane Diawara who slipped up; gifting an opportunity to winger Floyd Ayite and he scored the only goal of the game.
Those vital three points lifts them up to 16th on 10 points. Next up is a tough home game against Monaco, followed by a relegation battle against Guingamp. It is going to be a crucial couple of weeks for Makelele and his squad.
Winners: Olympique Lyonnais
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Everything is starting to come together at the Stade Gerland for Hubert Fournier. After a questionable start to the season—one of Lyon’s worst ever—the former French powerhouse are up to fourth in Ligue 1 after the wonderful 5-1 win over Montpellier on Sunday night.
Yoan Gourcuff continued his resurgence with the opening goal, firing Lyon ahead after 36 minutes. The very impressive Nabil Fekir made it 2-0 only minutes after and it continues OL’s excellent run of four wins in their last six.
"2009 - Yoann Gourcuff hasn't scored a brace in a Ligue 1 game since August 23, 2009 (with Bordeaux against Nice). Sharp.
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) October 19, 2014"
Lyon ran rampant in the second half, Gourcuff got his second and Alexandre Lacazette and Steed Malbranque made it 5-1 after Saka Tiene had given Montpellier a glimmer of hope with a free-kick after 54 minutes.
Next weekend they host league leaders Marseille in what will be the biggest game of the Ligue 1 season to date. The fixture will be a great chance to see just how good each team really is during this great run of form.
The front-line of Alexandre Lacazette and Fekir with the class of Gourcuff behind them will be the biggest test Marcelo Bielsa’s side have faced yet.
