Saint-Etienne End the Curse: Winners and Losers from Week 15 in Ligue 1
This weekend in Ligue 1, there were some clear winners and losers but also a heap of action, as France’s top flight did not disappoint in Week 15.
For less than 24 hours, Marseille put the pressure on Paris Saint-Germain with a 2-0 win over Nantes. The Parisians needed a Zlatan Ibrahimovic penalty to see off Nice as they once again failed to impress.
There were 23 goals this weekend in France but only the one away win, as Lorient came back to beat Toulouse 3-2, making it two in a row for Les Merlus and lifting them out of the drop zone.
Here are more winners and losers from Week 15 in Ligue 1.
Winners: Dimitri Payet
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Last week, the France forward set up two of Marseille’s goals as they came back to beat Bordeaux 3-1. This week he was at it again in a match with Nantes.
Florian Thauvin will get the praise for his outside-of-the-boot finish, but Payet should be commended for picking out the winger with his wonderful cross from a seemingly impossible position.
"3 - Dimitri Payet has assisted 3 of Marseille's last 4 goals in Ligue 1. Generous.
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) November 28, 2014"
That put Marseille 1-0 up and on the way to their 2-0 victory. It was also Payet’s seventh assist this season, putting him three ahead of everyone else in the league.
Winners: RC Lens
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Every squad facing a relegation battle knows they have to win games against the opponents around them.
Lens, at the bottom of the table and at home with fellow new boys Metz, knew another defeat could set them on a downward spiral.
Facing an uncertain future due to money issues, per L’Equipe (in French), the Lens faithful will be delighted this week after they came out 2-0 winners against Metz at the Stade de la Licorne. Second-half goals from Alharbi El Jadeyaoui and Benjamin Bourigeaud led Les Sang et Or to victory.
The victory temporarily took them out of the relegation zone, but Evian’s win over Guingamp sees them end the weekend in 18th. Still a lot better than being rock bottom.
Losers: FC Metz
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The honeymoon period is over for Les Grenats. After spending the first quarter of the season in the top half, they now have four defeats from five games. Albert Cartier’s side are slipping toward the predicted relegation battle.
Losing 2-0 to Lens, although away from home, takes away from the good work they put in during the 3-2 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain.
Metz’s next three games are against Bordeaux, Marseille and Lorient; things are not about to get easier for the side from Lorraine.
Winners: Stade Rennais
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Three defeats in a row back in September put huge doubts over Rennes’ potential. Coach Philippe Montanier was under pressure, but the former Real Sociedad boss has turned it around.
"7 - Rennes are unbeaten in their last 7 league games (W5 D2), a first since August-October 2010. Comeback.
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) November 29, 2014"
A superb performance in a 2-0 victory over Monaco makes it three wins in a row for the Breton side. That’s five wins in seven undefeated games. The three points takes them to sixth in the table, and the Europa League is looking a definite possibility next season.
Losers: Rene Girard
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Travelling away to Bordeaux was always going to be a tough trip for Lille. They jumped on a plane straight from Russia after their 1-1 draw with Krasnodar on Thursday, hoping it would aid their recovery.
In the end, Lille looked as if they were still sleeping on the plane.
Serving the second game of his five-match touchline ban, Coach René Girard wasn’t able to inject any of his fiery behaviour into his team, even though he was still in contact with the bench.
"5 - Lille have lost their last five away league games without scoring a single goal. Bleak.
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) November 30, 2014"
Lille looked void of any ideas, as only a near post shot from Nolan Roux troubled Cedric Carrasso during the whole game.
Down a goal and lacking creativity, the decision to remove Marvin Martin wasn’t ideal, but bringing on midfield bruiser Florent Balmont all but surrendered any chance of pulling the game back.
His postgame comments baffled even more; speaking to Ligue1.com, he seemed to blame Bordeaux’s own limitations on his side's performance:
"There's a lot of disappointment. We regret what happened today, because in the situation in which we find ourselves, everything is going against us.
We tried to play. We had just got back from a long journey, we perhaps didn't have the juice, but when you see how the match went, we have to be disappointed. It wasn't up to us to make the play, and I think we could have expected a lot better.
"
Perhaps Girard should concentrate on getting more out of his own team rather than looking to the opposition.
Winners: Saint-Etienne
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The looks on the faces of both Lyon’s Corentin Tolisso and Jordan Ferri summed up the feeling of the OL players this evening. Both will not be old enough to remember the last time Saint-Etienne beat Lyon at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.
"1994 - @ASSEofficiel hadn't beaten Lyon at home since 1994, in all competitions. Green.
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) November 30, 2014"
"3 - @RvWolfswinkel9 is the 3rd Dutch player to score for @ASSEofficiel in the derby against Lyon after Kees Rijveers et Johnny Rep. Legend.
— OptaJean (@OptaJean) November 30, 2014"
It was 1994 when Etienne Mendy scored a double to lead Saint-Etienne to a 3-0 win. Little did those players know that 20 years would pass before their club would win the same fixture again.
First-half goals from Moustapha Bayal-Sall and Ricky van Wolfswinkel gave the home side a shock lead before Renaud Cohade sealed the win and sent the home fans delirious.
