Lille beats Lorient, Strasbourg takes fourth place
Lille 3-1 Lorient
The champions easily shrugged off the COVID-19 enforced absence of coach Jocelyn Gourvennec as they knocked out a struggling Lorient side at Stade Pierre Mauroy.
The visitors had won none of their previous 25 away trips to the top flight, and never looked likely to end that run after Isaac Lihadji put Lille ahead in the 10th minute: the young scored his first senior goal from close range after the Lorient keeper. Paul Nardi parried a shot at one of his defenders, Léo Pétrot, and the ball couldn’t have fallen nicer for Lille.
Lorient will be even more unlucky when Burak Yilmaz’s free kick ricochets off the wall, and if Nardi saves under pressure from Amadou Onana, he sees the ball hit Pétrot central defender Moritz Jenz and end up in the net (19th ).
At the half hour mark the game was over as a contest when Reinildo kicked Renato Sanches’ free kick into the net with Nardi blocked to score his first league goal for Mastiffswho have now won five times in their unbeaten streak to move up to eighth place, five points behind third-placed Marseille, having played one game more.
Lorient, which has not won for 14 league matches, was somewhat consoled by the first goal of Sambou Soumano’s elite.
Clermont 0-2 Strasbourg
Strasbourg had the opportunity to move up to fourth place with victory against a plummeting Clermont side after just one win in their last 10 league games.
The in-form visitors got off to a good start, forcing Ouparine Djoco into several saves before finding a way past the Clermont keeper as half-time approached. Kevin Gameiro – starting with Habib Diallo in the Africa Cup of Nations with Senegal – made the perfect run to meet Jean-Eudes Ahoulou’s through ball, and the former Lorient and Paris Saint-Jean striker Germain skillfully kicked the ball over Djoco (44th).
Gameiro should have added a second shortly after half-time (52nd), but it was not until Cédric Hountondji – on his 28th birthday – scoring his own goal (77th) for Julien Stephan’s men to breathe well to start again . themselves two points behind Marseille, who have one game less on the Alsatians.
Montpellier 0-1 Troyes
Montpellier coach Olivier Dall’Oglio watched as his side suffered a second successive defeat – after four consecutive league wins – from home after testing positive for COVID-19 as his counterpart Bruno Irles claimed his first triumph as a manager. coach of Troyes.
An early double save from Gauthier Gallon – belying both Jordan Ferri and Téji Savanier (6′) – suggested it could be a frustrating night for the hosts, who dominated possession but failed to translate that into goal threat.
When Savanier was sent off following a wild tackle on Oualid El-Hajjam (63rd), the hosts would have been delighted to take a point, but Xavier Chavalerin fired past Jonas Omlin 16 minutes from time to give Troyes their first victory in six championships. matches and their fifth of the 2021/22 campaign.
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