Ligue 1 SRL Round-Up | PSG drop points, Monaco thrash Toulouse and much more
League leaders PSG were held to a 1-1 draw
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In an action-packed Saturday evening, AS Monaco could not stop scoring as they scored 7 goals to demolish Toulouse while Marseille also registered a comfortable victory. League leaders PSG settled for a draw against Stade Rennais while Lille edged past Amiens thanks to a dramatic late goal.
LOSC Lille 2 - 1 Amiens
The game was always going in Lilleâs way, with relegation-threatened Amiens on the wrong side of the stick. That said, Amiens did have a better start to the game, enjoying more possession, but it took a few seconds to change the tide, with Lille drawing first blood in the 14th minute of the game. Surprisingly, the away side did not fade away and continued to press throughout the remainder of the first period, but had no luck finding the equaliser.
The half-time break did wonders for Amiens, as they came out as a different team and dominated the match from the onset. The 68th-minute goal, via a penalty kick, shocked Lille to their very core. The hosts, in a desperate search for a winner, did get it in stoppage time of the game to snatch victory in a dramatic manner. Overall, Amines were the better side, with 55 dangerous attacks against Lilleâs 45.
AS Monaco 7 -0 Toulouse FC
Like the previous match, this match also had his fate sealed before the first kick was taken. It took the hosts 17 minutes to start a rout that would humiliate the visitors till the very end of the game. While the first goal was the start, the second and the third goal, in the 29th and the 33rd minute respectively, crushed Toulouseâs and ensured that there would be no comeback. They added a fourth in the 37th minute and made sure they were 4-0 up going into the break.
While Toulouse was of the thought that the storm was over, Monaco wasn't on the same page and started a fresh assault. They found the net for the 5th time just six minutes into the re-start. The âred and whitesâ struck again in the 68th and scored the last of the day, just 10 minutes before full time to script a mammoth win. And yet, few would believe that Toulouse (59) had more dangerous attacks than Monaco (52).
Olympique Marseille 3 - 1 FC Metz
While Marseille was expected to walk away from the match with a win, it took a total of 47 minutes for the hosts to break the deadlock. Rather unexpectedly, the first half was evenly contested apart from the goal, which gave Metz confidence going into the second half. But that theyâll actually go on to score in the 54th minute, was totally out of the blue.
Marseille was prompt to take action, netting their second in the 58th minute, following it up with their third seven minutes later to take the game away from the visitors. The Les Phoceens did try hard to extend the lead, but their quota for the day was done with. Statistically, Marseille was better in each department than the visitors. Marseille had more shots on goal (18) against Metz's 10 while the hosts also managed to register 55 dangerous attacks, 7 more than their opponents.
Paris Saint Germain 1 - 1 Stade Rennais
Having already secured the league, PSG, technically had no incentives from the game apart from bolstering their position at the top of the league table. The 23rd-minute goal from the Les Parisians was pretty much on the cards, but the equalizer from Stade Rennais wasnât. The evenly poised first-half ended with a 1-1 score, which was justified.Â
The visitors, eyeing a Champions League spot, were desperate and gave their best shot, but scoring against the best team on their own patch was never meant to be a cakewalk and it proved as much. Rennaisâ urge diminished in the second period, while PSG took advantage of it to their own purpose and hurled in attacks aplenty, but the winner never came, leaving both sides with a point.
Stade Brestois 1 - 1 Nimes
The battle of two teams from the bottom half of the table was not supposed to be one that soothes the eye, but it was interesting in its own way. On the cusp of being relegated, Nimes did give Stade Brestois a run for their money in the first half, but goals were always a distant reality. The scores were unhurt as the players walked towards the dugout at the half-way mark with many hoping for a goal filled second half.
It did prove to be just that as hosts took the lead in the 58th minute, but their inability to hold on to the lead allowed Nimes to level the scores and make a comeback with less than 15 minutes to play. Despite Stade Brestoisâs late resurgence, the match ended in 1-1 with the hosts the far better team with 63 dangerous attacks compared to Nimes 55, while they also spent more time per attack on average.
Strasbourg 2 - 1 FC Bordeaux
Strasbourg toiled hard till the closing stages of the game to edge past Bordeaux in an exciting weekend kick-off in the French Ligue 1. Playing at home, Strasbourg was in a state of shock after conceding the first goal as early as in the 4th minute of the game. The hosts changed gears in pursuit of the equalizer, which they managed in the 40th minute and went to the break with momentum on their side.
The second half was far from a smooth ride for Strasbourg, as Bordeaux had an answer to each of their moves. It was pure box-to-box action, with each team creating opportunities, only to see them go in vain. Strasbourgâs hard work finally paid off in the 83rd minute, with them netting the winner and walking away with full points from the fixture.Â
