Monaco is a hit against Metz, Montpellier and Angers are replaced, Lorient sinks
Nantes won 1-0 at Lorient thanks to an individual achievement from Wylan Cyprien. Dominating from the first to the last minute, Monaco largely beat Metz (4-0).
Nantes sinks Lorient
He only missed the finish in Lorient, in complete control of his subject against more timorous Nantes residents. But the Merlus do not have the worst attack in Ligue 1 for nothing, and their difficulty, often experienced against goal (formation that shoots and frames the least in Ligue 1) has again played tricks on the men of Christophe Pélissier, beaten (1-0) for the sixth consecutive time.
Lorient, dominating two-thirds of a meeting between two teams in bad shape in our championship, got the majority of the chances in the first period and touched three times more balls than the Canaries in the opposing area, giving themselves clearly the means to get out of this infernal spiral.
But in this meeting which will have sometimes turned into a festival of technical inaccuracies, especially in the first act, a winner was needed. And the success leaned towards the players of Kombouaré, with a sequence of beauty, signed Wylan Cyprien (83rd), for his very first goal of the season.
Nantes, which remained in five Ligue 1 matches without a win, with three defeats interspersed with two draws, it’s a real breath of fresh air. The Canaries breathe again, while for the Hake, it’s a bit of a grimace soup. Three points separate Lorient from the red lantern, Saint-Etienne. The worst is to be feared, as matches against Rennes and Paris await the Bretons before the end of the year.
Montpellier on a wire facing Clermont
To dominate is not to win. Clermont, like Lorient, learned it the hard way this Sunday, in Montpellier (1-0 defeat). Not much was happening at La Mosson before this nice cross from Ristic for Florent Mollet, who lacked control. This technical imprecision benefited Wahi who, without control, wound up a superb shot in the opposite window (27 ‘). More realistic than the Clermontois, the Héraultais were heckled in the second half, cornered in their half of the field by visitors much more aggressive.
Téji Savanier regaled the Mosson with his technical class gestures, succeeding in sequences to get out of the pressure of several players, as Marco Verratti knows how to do, but overall, Montpellier struggled to get the ball out. The end of the match even amounted to an attack-defense in the last moments. Physically affected, the Montpellier residents remained united, managing to hold out until the end, to line up a second success in a row.
Angers overcomes Reims
Not very happy away from home, Angers scored a second away success this season, the first since a victory in Strasbourg on Matchday 1. Scorer and passer for Fulgini on the second goal of the SCO (49th, 75th), Sofiane Boufal counted a lot in the success of the Angevins, but the Stade de Reims will keep a bitter taste of this meeting, due in particular to the expulsion of Berisha (36th). The midfielder received a second warning in eight minutes, synonymous with exclusion.
And if the first was logical, the second may seem a little harsh. This fact has severely handicapped the Stade de Reims, which nevertheless provides the means to return to the score thanks to Ekitike (59th). The young striker did not shake when taking a penalty that he had first missed before it was given to withdraw by the referee, the latter having judged that the goalkeeper was too advanced at the time of the strike. . Unfortunately for the spectators of the Auguste-Delaune stadium, Fulgini did not give the euphoria time to settle in the Reims camp. Angers goes back to seventh place in the standings. The beautiful series of Reims, which remained a success in Lyon, comes to an end.
Monaco confirms the improvement against Metz
To chain. This was the watchword on the Monaco side. Niko Kovac, the coach, felt that his players were capable after a performance that demanded Angers, however, asked for confirmation at home. And it just came, with great success (4-0). In the attitude, to begin with, the players demonstrating, by example, how much confidence they have found in what they are offering on the field, both technically and tactically.
Scorer in Angers, the young Sofiane Diop showed the way from the 2nd minute of play. And as something is always happening with ASM, Kevin Volland obtained and converted a penalty just before the break (44th), to enlighten the path to a second success in a row in Ligue 1, the third in all competitions. Confident in the face of Messins who lacked accuracy and aggressiveness, despite a few situations, ASM tripled the bet thanks to Gelson Martins (57th), author of his 3rd goal this season.
Entered at the end of the match, Ben Yedder concluded the demonstration (87th). For Metz, the halt is confirmed, while for Monaco, the improvement continues. Monaco temporarily climbs to sixth place in the standings, and is getting closer to European places. ASM is only five points behind the second place occupied by Rennes before the OM match this Sunday evening.