All eyes are on Kylian Mbappé after his star turn in PSG's 2-0 Classique win in Marseille added more epicness to the capital club's start to

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1 NEWSLETTER LIGUE 1 CONFORAMA Week 11 review: Mbappé the man as PSG level Spurs record All eyes are on Kylian Mbappé after his star turn in PSG's 2-0 Classique win in Marseille added more epicness to the capital club's start to the season; LOSC and Montpellier kept pace with wins of their own. It had been 58 years since a side in one of Europe's top five leagues won the first 11 matches of their league season - EPL side Tottenham did it back in but on Sunday night France's teenage superstar Kylian Mbappé came off the bench and sparked the surge that saw Paris Saint-Germain best arch-rivals Marseille 2-0 and level Spurs' long-standing record. The sides were neck-and-neck in a fascinating contest for the best part of an hour at the Orange Vélodrome, but when Mbappé - who, along with Adrien Rabiot, was left out of the starting line-up for arriving late to the pre-match talk - came on, he took just three minutes to do what none of his teammates had managed. "A great team relies on its leaders and they need to make the difference at key times," said the 19-year-old - whom many believe has a chance to win the Ballon d'or this year - who now tops the Ligue 1 Conforama scorers chart with ten goals. "I think I can take on that role and I did it today. They had a number of situations where we were in difficulty, and they deserve credit, but we were clinical and came away with the win." The win, which saw OM dip to fifth place, sets up an extremely interesting clash between the leaders and second-placed LOSC, who stretched their winning run to four matches while making it six from six at home this season with a narrow 1-0 win over Caen. "We're aware that we're not going to win every game by two or three goals. It was more difficult this evening, but the team controlled the game," said coach Christophe Galtier, who saw seven-goal top scorer Nicolas Pépé set up Rafael Leao for the winner with a fifth assist of the campaign. "I didn't feel my team panic and when we opened the scoring, I felt maturity out there on the pitch." The win allowed LOSC to remain within eight points of leaders PSG, but wasn't enough to shake third-placed Montpellier, who stretched their impressive unbeaten run to ten matches with a 3-0 dismantling of Toulouse in the south-western derby. "We played very well. We tried to be solid, disciplined, difficult to get past. We didn't concede and played well," said MHSC boss Michel Der Zakarian, for whom Toulouse loanee Andy Delort hit a fine goal. "We wanted to stay on the podium, we'll see if we can make it three wins from three against Marseille [at home in ]. We'll do all we can to stay near the top." Olympique Lyonnais climbed into fourth after making it back-to-back wins with a 2-1 victory away to ten-man Angers, Memphis Depay clinching a goal and an assist for Houssem Aouar's opener. Meanwhile Thierry henry made his home league debut as Monaco coach as struggling Dijon came calling, and while his side managed to salvage a point in the 2-2 draw as captain Kamil Glik levelled with 12 minutes to go, the France, arsenal and Monaco legend is still waiting for his first win at the helm of the principality club. Saint-Etienne had been looking to break into the top four as they travelled to promoted Nîmes on Friday night, but Les Crocodiles are no easybeats and denied Les Verts their first win in three in a 1-1 draw on the south coast. Patrick Vieira's Nice got their first win in four as Wylan Cyprien struck the only goal of the game in Bordeaux, while promoted Reims got their first win since Week 2 with a 2-0 triumph in Rennes, who sit in 14th with just one win in their last six league outings. Strasbourg denied bottom club Guingamp just a second win of the season when Kevin Zohi cancelled out Nicolas Benezet's opener in the 88th minute 11/02/2018 Ligue de Football Professionnel / Ligue1.com 1

2 of their 1-1 draw, while Nantes climbed to 12th on the back of their 2-1 win away to Amiens, making it two wins rom two under new coach Vahid Halilhodzic. Week 11 reactions - Mbappé leading from the front Teenage superstar Kylian Mbappé declared himself happy to take on a leadership role for Paris after coming off the bench to break the deadlock in the record-breaking 2-0 Classique win over Marseille on Sunday. Sunday, October 28, 2018 Olympique de Marseille 0-2 Paris Saint-Germain Rudi Garcia (Olympique de Marseille coach): "I'm disappointed for my players but I'm proud of them as they played the match I wanted them to. We defended very well and I think it's rare that Paris create so few chances. Unfortunately we conceded a goal from one of their first chances of the match, when we lost possession and they hit us on the counter when [Kylian] Mbappé came on. You need to be clinical and you need things to go your way in matches like this. I'm happy with my players and how we played. We showed that we could rise to the occasion." Thomas Tuchel (Paris Saint-Germain coach): "It was a tough game, but we'd expected that. Congratulations to the team. This win is for our fans. They were at the airport when we left this morning. The team has worked hard and done it together. There's a special mention for three players - Thilo Kehrer, Marquinhos and Stanley N'Soki, as well as Marco Verratti, who played extremely well They were huge! We won our eleventh in a row." Kylian Mbappé (Paris Saint-Germain forward): "The team needed this win. A great team relies on its leaders and they need to make the difference at key times. I think I can take on that role and I did it today. We have to keep going and stay on the right track. We know that Marseille have a lot of impact at home. Today, they showed they're a team that plays good football. They had a number of situations where we were in difficulty, and they deserve credit, but we were clinical and came away with the win." Girondins de Bordeaux 0-1 OGC Nice Eric Bedouet (Bordeaux coach): "We deserved better. I can't really reproach my players for anything. We just needed to score a goal. We hit the bar and there were lots of other situations where we didn't get the breaks. It is a difficult scenario, it's annoying, we are not happy, but we must not dwell on it. The circumstances smiled on Nice and not us. I didn't think our players were tired. We just lacked a bit of luck. We were at fault at the goal. We had 26 crosses but our crossing was not good. There is no point in crossing if that's how we're going to do it. We will work on that side of things." Patrick Vieira (Nice coach): "You can't say that we stole the three points tonight. We were erratic at times, especially in the first half, but the spirit was good, we tried to play football, and the team respected the game plan. We could have scored well before we did, but unfortunately we didn't get a break. We need to continue to be positive and with confidence we will get better and better. We are a bit more focused away from home and defend with a bit more rigour. When you how much work Allan (Saint-Maximin) and Mario (Balotelli) did defensively, that is what we need when we are playing at home. We will keep working but this team can still improve. It is really important that we try to produce good football. If we keep playing, and keep creating chances, we will have more chances to win games and we will climb the table. I am more focused on the football we play that the number of points we have." Stade Rennais FC 0-2 Stade de Reims Sabri Lamouchi (Rennes coach): "Beyond it being a sad Sunday, it has been a very bad week. We started with quite a positive performance and result at Saint-Etienne. It was very difficult to get over what happened on Thursday, with the end of the match and the result (against Dynamo Kiev), and today we just didn't turn up in the first half. Reims deserved the victory. We didn't do enough to hope for any better. We really were not good enough, with very few chances to score and too many errors. Fortunately it doesn't happen often but it has come at a bad time." 11/02/2018 Ligue de Football Professionnel / Ligue1.com 2

3 David Guion (Reims coach): "It was a very disciplined and serious performance, and this time, compared to previous games, we took our chances as well. We know we are solid, difficult to break down, and that we just needed to be patient and maintain confidence in the players that they would bring us that efficiency. We started the game very well, and I really enjoyed the first 25 minutes. It is our seventh clean sheet since the start of the season, but we hadn't been able to take advantage by being clinical at the other end. But we have kept going. We have been calm and kept confidence in the players and you can see that all that paid off this afternoon." Saturday, October 27, 2018 AS Monaco 2-2 Dijon FCO Thierry Henry (Monaco coach: "It was tough, because of where we're at right now. I don't want to look for excuses, it's the team we have and what we have to work with. We were passive for an hour, on the right they must have done the same thing to us six times and we didn't react. Perhaps there was tiredness from Bruges, but I'm not sure. Golovin ran like a madman, Sofiane Diop played very well. He wanted the ball, he won the ball back for the goal, he was courageous in asking for the ball when it was difficult, Moussa Sylla could have scored agian, those are positive points for me. We might have lost the game a couple of weeks ago. I didn't like the first hour very much, but when we started to play as we should when we're at home, it was better. We kept going after the second goal, we started to play. We don't deal with counter-attacks that well, but I want to stay positive. We were passive as a team in the first half, we changed things at half-time. Pele came on and did exactly what he had to do, win the ball higher up the pitch, it made it difficult for Dijon to play. We lost Nacer Chadli just before the match, he had a little problem with an adductor. I have to try and stay positive in negative times. There was a time when the team would not have come back, and we came back." Olivier Dall'Oglio (Dijon coach): "It's positive we scored. That's a good thing. I have mixed feelings a bit. I think with a bit more luck and application we could have won it, but I'm satisfied given our current situation. The same things keep happening. We start with great commitment and discipline, but then we commit big mistakes and we could have paid very dearly for them. We're going to have to put them right, and at this level, we won't get away with them all the time. We conceded and then we reacted, we showed more precision and intensity, and we managed to score and have more confidence. Our fragility is terrible and we make it all on our own, that's what worries me the most. I get the impression that I repeat the same thing each week. When we concede a goal, then we can go for it, which shows that we haven't got the maturity needed to control a game. There were some good things, but there are still quite a lot of things to work on. The result is promising, but for the manner, there is a lot of work to do." LOSC 1-0 SM Caen Christophe Galtier (Lille coach): "We're aware that we're not going to win every game by two or three goals. It was more difficult this evening, but the team controlled the game. It was important not to play to our opponents' strengths. The team was thorough. We had problems at times and the game opened up, but we didn't give Caen a lot of chances. I asked for patience and for them to play a little more quickly in the second half. We scored a nice goal. We hit the post twice, the scoreline could have been heavier. Even if we hadn't won the game, I wouldn't have worried, but I didn't feel my team panic and when we opened the scoring, I felt maturity out there on the pitch." Fabien Mercadal (Caen coach): "I'm terribly disappointed. We played how we wanted to, especially at the back. We didn't manage to see it through due to a small mistake. The idea was to block the gaps, the spaces where they could run into, and - when we won the ball back - keep the ball for as long as possible to allow us to get in behind them. We lacked a little cuteness and concentration. I regret the goal we conceded. If we had kept it at 0-0 a bit longer, we would have troubled them more." Toulouse FC 0-3 Montpellier Hérault SC Alain Casanova (Toulouse coach): "We're in a difficult period. Our momentum is very negative. After a good start to the season, we've lost our way. We lack confidence. You saw the difference between us and a team full of confidence. Two-nil was deserved for Montpellier. In terms of our play and aggression, it was totally insufficient. We have to refind our determination and reassure ourselves quickly. It's a general problem and everyone has to ask questions of themselves." 11/02/2018 Ligue de Football Professionnel / Ligue1.com 3

4 Michel Der Zakarian (Montpellier coach): "Our first half was very good. We could have led 3-0. We played very well. We tried to be solid, disciplined, difficult to get past. We didn't concede and played well. We wanted to stay on the podium, we'll see if we can make it three wins from three against Marseille. We'll do all we can to stay near the top." Amiens SC 1-2 FC Nantes Christophe Pelissier (Amiens coach): "We're all very frustrated. We started brightly, but we paid for two mistakes. It's a shame for hte player who made a lot of effort, but it seems it wasn't enough." Vahid Halilhodzic (Nantes coach): "It's a victory full of panache and combativeness. We suffered, but I think we deserved our win. It does us a huge amount of good, because it gets us out of the danger zone. Now we have to confirm our renaissance. We're continuing to work for that. We could have done better, particularly with our final ball." EA Guingamp 1-1 RC Strasbourg Alsace Antoine Kombouaré (Guingamp coach): "It's a very bad draw. We were so close. We took a real slap in the face. Strasbourg perhaps weren't at their best and we should have taken advantage. We created quite a lot of chances, we passed the ball well, but when you don't score a second. The equaliser is going to haunt us, but we have to keep working. When you're bottom of the table, things often go against you." Thierry Laurey (Strasbourg coach): "It's not an unfair result given the pressure we applied in the second half and the situations we got ourselves into. We didn't play how we wanted in the first half. We can't concede an early goal like that. We had to chase the game and we were on a knife edge. I think we lacked spontaneity and speed, but we didn't let our heads drop and kept plugging away." Angers SCO 1-2 Olympique Lyonnais Stéphane Moulin (Angers coach): "Our first half-hour was almost perfect apart from the goal that we were lacking. We did what we wanted to do, we caught them off-guard, but unfortunately - just as in the last three or four games - our goals to chances ratio isn't enough. When we went down to ten men, the match wasn't the same at all. It's a shame because it doesn't show the quality of our play at 11 against 11. But we didn't give us, we troubled them to the end. We pushed them all the way, even with ten men." Bruno Genesio (Lyon coach): "It was a difficult start, up to half-time, we didn't create enough chances because we lacked directness and depth in our game. We were fragile, which allowed Angers to get three or four good chances; Fortunately, Anthony [Lopes] kept us in the game. In the second half, we were better with more movement, Memphis [Depay] coming off the bench had something to do with that. It allowed us to make the difference at the end of the game even though we still suffered by conceding that goal." Friday, October 26, 2018 Nîmes Olympique 1-1 AS Saint-Etienne Bernard Blaquart (Nîmes coach): "We were spectators for the Saint-Etienne goal and it made the match more difficult for us. We needed to attack and that meant we left too much space between the lines in the first half. We need to be more clinical in front of goal. There's frustration because we feel we could have won the game but also satisfaction after this draw given the first 15 minutes. We need to keep progressing and we're still discovering things." Jean-Louis Gasset (Saint-Etienne coach): "I knew that Nîmes would push hard and try to get as close to our goal as possible by playing log balls but I thought we'd have more control of the game. When we had strong spells we could have scored a second goal that would have given us more breathing space. Nîmes stayed in the game and we knew they wouldn't give up, that they'd keep pushing with the fans behind them. At the end of the day a point away from home doesn't move us on much but I'm reassured, notably by the team spirit." 11/02/2018 Ligue de Football Professionnel / Ligue1.com 4

5 COUPE DE LA LIGUE BKT LOSC, Montpellier stunned as Strasbourg, Nantes fire League high-flyers LOSC and Montpellier both suffered surprise defeats in their opening Coupe de la Ligue BTK fixtures, Strasbourg dominating Les Dogues 2-0 while Nantes hit three with no reply against La Paillade. Coupe de la Ligue BKT, Round of 32 RC Strasbourg Alsace 2-0 LOSC LOSC have been league leaders Paris Saint-Germain's closest rivals so far in Ligue 1 Conforama, but Friday night's clash with capital club took on a different hue as Christophe Galtier's side came unstuck in Strasbourg on Tuesday. With the big clash in mind, Galtier opted to rotate his squad and their lack of cohesion showed as Youssouf Fofana nodded home to break the deadlock (13') and set up a dominant half of football. Galtier brought on man of the moment Nicolas Pépé just after the hour mark and LOSC's star began to rise, but Les Dogues struggled to convert their chances and, when talismanic Strasbourg midfielder Dimitri Liénard bagged his side's second nine minutes from time, it was clear that LOSC's ship had well and truly sailed, taking Strasbourg through to the round of 16. Montpellier Hérault SC 0-3 FC Nantes Meanwhile in the evening's earlier match, FC Nantes confirmed their solid recent form by handing Montpellier just a second defeat of the season in all competitions - their first since the opening day of the season - with a stunning 3-0 win at the Stade de la Mosson. The win, which comes on the back of successive league victories, came as Nantes upped the ante after a fairly quiet first half. Kalifa Coulibaly struck first, nodding home Charles Traoré's cross from the left (58'), and then after Pedro Mendes - who will now miss the crunch league clash at home to Marseille this weekend -saw red (74'), Les Canaris made the break as substitute Majeed Waris scored his first goal since arriving at the club in the summer (80'). Fellow sub Emiliano Sala then put the cherry on top of a strong team performance - which also featured an impeccable turn between the sticks from second-choice 'keeper Maxime Dupé, snaring his fifth in three matches in all competitions as Vahid Halilhodzic's side progressed to the round of 16. Nice, Amiens and Dijon do the job Nice and Amiens both beat Domino's Ligue 2 opponents as Dijon accounted for Ligue 1 Conforama rivals Caen 3-1 to reach the last 16. Toulouse fell to Lorient and penalties decided it for Guingamp and Orléans, who ousted Reims. Coupe de la Ligue, Round of 32 OGC Nice 3-2 AJ Auxerre OGC Nice had a Rémi Walter double (41', 80' pen.) - plus an opener from teenager Myziane Maolida (17') - to thank for their 3-2 win over Domino's Ligue 2 side AJ Auxerre in the evening's first match. However, despite leading 2-0 at half-time, Patrick Vieira's side had let Auxerre back into the 11/02/2018 Ligue de Football Professionnel / Ligue1.com 5

6 match and were somewhat fortunate that a red card for Jean Marcelin (87') saw the visitors' challenge fade at the death. Dijon FCO 3-1 SM Caen Dijon scored the biggest win of the night, besting SM Caen 3-1 thanks in large part to an early blast that saw Wesley Saïd (04') and Naim Sliti (07') put them two goals to the good. Saîf-Eddine Khaoui's reply (50') was a case of too little too late for visiting Caen, and Saïd made sure of the result with a second late in the piece (79'). The win was Dijon's first since Week 3 in Ligue 1 Conforama, which was also the last time they scored three or more goals in a single game in all competitions. FC Metz 1-2 Amiens SC Amiens SC were only top-flight side to win on the road, Colombian Juan Otero's 73rd-minute strike clinching it after former Saint-Etienne, Toulouse and Monaco man Emmanuel Rivière (71') had cancelled out team-mate Ibrahima Niane's earl own-goal (06', o.g.). Toulouse FC 0-1 FC Lorient After starting the season superbly, Alain Casanova's Toulouse have hit a slump and this form - consecutive league defeat with a total of seven goals conceded - continued against Domino's Ligue 2 outfit Lorient as substitute Abdoul Bila bagged the winner for former PSG and LOSC 'keeper Mickaël Landreau's side. EA Guingamp 0-0 Angers SCO - EA Guingamp win 3-2 on penalties Guingamp and Angers couldn't be separated after a goalless 90 minutes, and the match went directly to penalties, where the Brittany side triumphed 3-2 for just a second win of the season in all competitions, plus of course a place in the last 16. Stade de Reims 1-1 US Orléans - US Orléans win 2-3 on penalties Stade de Reims did not enjoy the same good fortune against Domino's Ligue 2 side US Orléans, however, as their shoot-out - which came only after the promoted Ligue 1 Conforama side's Sheyi Ojo (89') replied to Jordan Tell's opener (63') - went in favour of the underdogs 3-2. Nîmes Olympique - AS Saint-Etienne - POSTPONED Nîmes Olympique's clash with AS Saint-Etienne was postponed due to heavy rain and will be played at a date to be determined by the LFP's Competition's Commission. Round of 32 reactions - Dall'oglio: 'Clinical' Dijon boss Oliver Dall'oglio was thrilled after his side scored the biggest win of the night, 3-1 over Caen, while Toulouse's Alain Casanova conceded his side are all at sea following their loss to Domino's Ligue 2 side Lorient. Coupe de la Ligue BKT, Round of 32 OGC Nice 3-2 AJ Auxerre Patrick Vieira (OGC Nice coach): "It's great to be through to the last 16. That was our objective. Still, we lacked maturity and experience at times and we need to learn quickly. Concerning Rémi Walter, over and above his two goals, I thought he was excellent. He hasn't played much but he seized the opportunity tonight. That's what I expect from my players." Pablo Correa (AJ Auxerre coach): "We have a lot of regrets right now. But we did score two goals away to Nice." 11/02/2018 Ligue de Football Professionnel / Ligue1.com 6

7 Dijon FCO 3-1 SM Caen Olivier Dall'Oglio (Dijon FCO coach): "It was a real cup match - you either win or you go home, and we scored three goals. The lads outdid themselves. But we know we still have work to do. We have been lacking cutting edge but tonight we were more clinical." Fabien Mercadal (SM Caen coach): "You can't really hope for a result if you start a match as we did tonight. There was a clear lack of concentration and commitment. We made things very tough for ourselves by conceding two goals in the first ten minutes. I'm not pointing fingers, but as a team, we need to be much more competitive." FC Metz 1-2 Amiens SC Frédéric Antonetti (FC Metz coach): "The result didn't go our way but we played well and even injected some style in the second half. It was great! But we relaxed and conceded another goal." Christophe Pélissier (Amiens SC coach): "In the cup, it's all about qualifying. It was important for us to get back to winning ways but also a baptism of fire for some of our youngsters. Last weekend, against Nantes, we had a lot of chances but lost, and tonight it was the reverse, so we're really happy to have qualified." Toulouse FC 0-1 FC Lorient Alain Casanova (Toulouse FC coach): "We're not in a positive spiral at the moment and we're paying dearly for every mistake. Lorient scored with their only chance and that's very frustrating for the club, the fans and me. We should have gone to penalties at least. But we're out of the competition now and I really regret it. We're low on confidence but we need to keep working hard and stay positive." Mickaël Landreau (FC Lorient coach): "It was a great match for us. We're on a roll; this was our third away win in the competition this season and I'm happy for the lads and the club." EA Guingamp 0-0 Angers SCO - EA Guingamp win 3-2 on penalties Antoine Kombouaré (EA Guingamp coach): "It's extremely satisfying to be through to the last 16. For the first time this season, there are smiles and happiness, and we gave our fans something to smile about too. We faced a lot of difficulties with changes and absences, but we faced up to them. I told the lads that this is the bet way to prepare for our league trip to Nantes - we're now unbeaten in six matches in all competitions and the results are starting to flow." Stéphane Moulin (Angers SCO coach): "We're eliminated but we didn't lose. We played a typically strong away match and conceded practically nothing to our opponents. We had several chances to go in front but we didn't take them. So it went to penalties and obviously we're pretty disappointed. It's tough because I thoughtwe deserved to win, but to win you have to score. That's my only regret." Stade de Reims 1-1 US Orléans - US Orléans win 2-3 on penalties David Guion (Stade de Reims coach): "It's hugely disappointing, as we really wanted to qualify. I wanted to use this competition to give our season some fresh impetus and give the team a chance to express themselves. We were lucky enough to equalise and take it to penalties but we didn't negotiate that well at all." Didier Ollé-Nicolle (US Orléans coach): "When we prepared for this match, we knew penalties would be a possibility. So when they equalised, I could see that my players stayed calm. We deserved to qualify for the next round." RC Strasbourg Alsace 2-0 LOSC Thierry Laurey (RC Strasbourg coach): "It was a chance for the lads who haven't been playing that much to show that we can count on them and they did well. We were pleasantly surprised, as they showed a lot of commitment, rigour and solidarity. You have to love evenings like this one because 11/02/2018 Ligue de Football Professionnel / Ligue1.com 7

8 everything went well, and that's great for building a positive dynamic. How things go now depends a fair bit on the draw; but however that goes, we'll fight hard and take this competition seriously." Christophe Galtier (LOSC coach): "We're disappointed to be out of the competition. Strasbourg deserved to qualify; I thought we would do much better. We took some time to get into the match, but that was because a number of the lads hadn't been playing much. And then my choice in terms of the formation and how we played wasn't really adapted to this match. The lads need to recuperate and get this out of their system now. Everyone's frustrated and angry because we wanted to go a long way in this competition. I had a part to play in our defeat and I'm facing up to it." Montpellier Hérault SC 0-3 FC Nantes Michel Der Zakarian (Montpellier Hérault SC coach): "This is a terrible evening for us; we were hoping to qualify but really blew it. Pedro Mendes' sending off was just a part of it all. We didn't play the match we wanted to - we were too wasteful and had just one chance on goal, just after they scored. We'll have to analyse this defeat well and then get ready for the visit of Marseille [in Ligue 1 Conforama on Sunday evening]." Vahid Halilhodzic (FC Nantes coach): "That was really something. Both sides were poor in the first half, especially technically, but we were much better in the second half. We deserved the win against a side who have been playing really well lately. But we can't stop here. In the Coupe de la Ligue, you have to have ambition and drive and determination, otherwise you fall by the wayside. In just four matches, you can book a place in the final and that's a real spectacle." 11/02/2018 Ligue de Football Professionnel / Ligue1.com 8