PSG fell to the biggest league defeat of the Qatari era, 3-0 in Montpellier, slipping to third place after red-hot leaders OGC Nice beat

Transcription

1 NEWSLETTER Week 17 LIGUE 1 Week 16 review: PSG lose ground as Aiglons soar PSG fell to the biggest league defeat of the Qatari era, 3-0 in Montpellier, slipping to third place after red-hot leaders OGC Nice beat Toulouse 3-0 and Monaco walloped SC Bastia 5-0 to further increase their huge goal difference. If PSG's Qatari owners were hoping for a memorable night to mark the occasion of the 300th match since their purchase of the club, then they got their wish - but for all the wrong reasons, as Unai Emery's men fell apart in Montpellier and recorded the club's biggest defeat since The capital club, back in a formation and with a number of line-up changes, struggled to take control of the match and found themselves 2-0 goals down early in the second half after Paul Lasne (42') and Ellyes Skhiri (48') struck superbly. They rallied somewhat when Hatem Ben Arfa's entry into play occasioned a switch back to the formation that claimed wins over Lyon and Angers, but when Ryad Boudebouz added a third with a clinical shot from outside the area, the Rouge et Bleus' goose was cooked. "We are not happy today. Today we failed the exam. We lost a bit of the confidence that we had gained," said PSG coach Unai Emery, whose side lost valuable ground in the title race and now sit four points adrift of Nice in third place. "We need the concentration and motivation to be at 100 per cent, but when you are dominated in that regard by the opposition you cannot win. As soon as we lower the concentration levels like today, we lose the match." It was a different story for OGC Nice, who turned on the style in a dominant 3-0 win at home to Toulouse, that saw Alassane Plea (23'), Younès Belhanda (26') and Jean-Michaël Seri (65') score superb goals to take Les Aiglons three points clear atop the table just a week ahead of their potential six-pointer versus Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes on Sunday night. "It was a deserved win for Nice, who were superior in every domain. We had too many absentees; when you're without important players, things get really tough," said Toulouse boss Pascal Dupraz, gracious in defeat. "We just didn't make enough of an impact; I'm not sure that we even had a shot on target. Nice remind me of what we saw last season with Leicester: a team with dynamism, freshness, good technical qualities and a strong backbone. You get the feeling Nice have moved up to the next level." Well if Nice have stepped it up then there's no denying that Monaco have too, Leonardo Jardim's men once again underlining their new-found attacking intentions with a 5-0 hammering of Mediterranean rivals SC Bastia on Saturday. With 49 goals from 16 games, Monaco have outscored both Nice and PSG by 19 goals and boast a goal difference of +33, confirming their status as the best attack among Europe's top five leagues (England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France). "I am always happy because I like my job. I have a passion for football," said the typically laconic Jardim. "For 20 minutes we started the match well. We scored. Bastia came back well after that. Then the second goal killed the match." Stade Rennais bounced back from their Brittany derby loss to Lorient in style, Paul-Georges Ntep bagging his first Ligue 1 goal in over a year (54') and Kamil Grosicki curling a stunning Goal of the Season contender over his shoulder and into the top corner (90'+2) to claim a 2-0 win over Saint-Etienne. The win took Christian Gourcuff's side into fourth, eight points shy of the top three, but just a point clear of Brittany rivals Guingamp, who bounced back from their home loss to Nice in mid-week by downing ten-man Nantes - in their first match under interim coach Philippe Mao with goals from Jimmy Briand (22') and Yannis Salibur (63'). Marseille moved into the top half of the table after claiming just a second win of the Garcia era, 3-0 at home to AS Nancy-Lorraine, who ended the 12/09/2016 Ligue de Football Professionnel / Ligue1.com 1

2 match with ten men. A spectacular strike from Florian Thauvin got things started at the Stade Vélodrome, with Bafétimbi Gomis (80') and Clinton Njie (90'+3) following suit in the southern giants' most accomplished display for some time. There were scandalous scenes in Metz as, in the aftermath of a superb strike from youngster Gauthier Hein, firecrackers were thrown at OL 'keeper Anthony Lopes, forcing the referee to abandon the match. The matter is now with the LFP's Disciplinary Commission, who have promised to be 'intransigent' as the deal with the incident. The round kicked off in thrilling style on Friday night as Dijon travelled to Caen and, despite going a man down when Arnold Bouka Moutou got a second yellow card (31'), fought back from 3-1 down to rescue a dramatic draw. Bordeaux went into their clash at home to strugglers Lille unbeaten in seven Ligue 1 outings, but LOSC are on a fresh new dynamic under interim boss Patrick Collot and backed up their mid-week 4-2 win over Caen with a 1-0 upset at the Matmut Atlantique thanks to a lone strike from Nicolas De Préville just before half-time (44'). Les Dogues climb to 14th, three points clear of the drop. Angers managed to check Lorient's revival under new boss Bernard Casoni in a 2-2 Brittany derby draw on Saturday. Week 16 reactions - Favre: 'We controlled it well' Nice boss Lucien Favre found that his side dealt well with the challenge posed by Toulouse as they ran out 3-0 winners and went three points clear atop the table; the TFC's Pascal Dupraz felt Les Aiglons have stepped up a grade. Sunday, December 4, 2016 OGC Nice 3-0 Toulouse FC Lucien Favre (OGC Nice coach): "It was a good match against a side who are very aggressive with their pressing. At the beginning of the match, we needed to stay calm and play faster to avoid having the ball stolen - they have players who are very good at breaking up play. We made it 1-0 pretty quickly, and then 2-0 from a long ball. We pushed on, as we wanted to bag another to make sure of the result. A 3-0 scoreline is good. I don't know whether it was our most accomplished match of the season so far, but I think we controlled it well. (On the impending league trip to Paris) We're thrilled to be heading to the Parc. It's Paris, after all! Balotelli? I don't yet know whether he will be fit. The important thing will be the balance of our team. Pascal Dupraz (Toulouse FC coach): "It was a deserved win for Nice, who were superior in every domain. We had too many absentees; when you're without important players, things get really tough. I'm disappointed, as we started the match well before going 2-0 down due to two poor judgement calls. At that stage, Nice hadn't taken control of the game the way they're accustomed to doing. But that's what happens to a team forced to field a defence composed of players who haven't had much game time together. We just didn't make enough of an impact; I'm not sure that we even had a shot on target. Nice remind me of what we saw last season with Leicester: a team with dynamism, freshness, good technical qualities and a strong backbone. You get the feeling Nice have moved up to the next level." Stade Rennais FC 2-0 AS Saint-Etienne Christian Gourcuff (Rennes coach): "I'm satisfied and happy. We dominated the game. The only regret we can have is not scoring the second goal quicker because at 1-0 up you are never safe. The players are big lads and they know that Tuesday's performance wasn't up to scratch. We can't get those points back. It wasn't perfect and we scored the second goal very late on, but we kept playing football and kept pressing them very high up the pitch." Christophe Galtier (Saint-Etienne coach): "It's the worst we've played in a very, very long time. Rennes totally deserved their win and they stopped us from playing. The most regrettable thing is that we are capable of being very solid and that's not been the case in the last couple of matches. Players aren't putting in the extra effort to compensate mistakes made by their team-mates. If we carry on like this then we'll have a difficult season." 12/09/2016 Ligue de Football Professionnel / Ligue1.com 2

3 Olympique de Marseille 3-0 AS Nancy Lorraine Rudi Garcia (Marseille coach): "Florian Thauvin scored a great goal. Against teams that defend a lot, like Nancy this evening, you must score the first goal. I'm happy because we played as a team. We were fluent and the three attackers that started the match all scored. We've kept clean sheets against Nancy and Saint-Etienne in our last two games and hardly allowed either side any chances. That's the real green light for me." Pablo Correa (Nancy coach): "The derby victory was forgotten about well before kick-off. Our problem today wasn't our concentration, it was physical. We were still alive in the first half because Marseille kept missing the target. Our experienced players were fatigued and our centre-halves as well. The red card topped things off. I thought it was harsh." Saturday, December 3, 2016 Montpellier Hérault SC 3-0 Paris Saint-Germain Frédéric Hantz (Montpellier coach): "You need a lot of things to go in your favour to win 3-0 against Paris, firstly what Paris do. They are in a busy run of matches and it is difficult to win all of them. They did not play as well today, but I don't want to take any of the merit away from my players, whom I congratulate. My team has enormous potential when they put all the ingredients in, especially the mental ingredients. We have picked up three points after letting points get away from us against the likes of Bastia, Nancy and Toulouse. In the Qatari era I had never won against them, and I was not the only one." Unai Emery (Paris Saint-Germain): "We are not happy today. We spoke about gaining more confidence by the way we play, with our results, but we must maintain the same demands in terms of performance by working hard. Today we failed the exam. We lost a bit of the confidence that we had gained. We need the concentration and motivation to be at 100 percent, but when you are dominated in that regard by the opposition you cannot win. As soon as we lower the concentration levels like today, we lose the match." Angers SCO 2-2 FC Lorient Stéphane Moulin (Angers coach): "My only regret frm the match is that we did not manage to hold our lead. Otherwise I think it was the right result and for the first time this season the score at half-time flattered us. We came up against a team who have come on a lot. Obviously we are not satisfied with the result but we could have lost it." Bernard Casoni (Lorient coach): "We managed to come back. We posed them problems and created a lot of chances. I think we are on the right road. We are continuing to make progress. It has been a positive week. We are making progress in small steps. There is still a lot to be made between now and the end of the season, but we are on the right track." Girondins de Bordeaux 0-1 LOSC Jocelyn Gourvennec (Bordeaux coach): "To lose at home is always a below-par performance and in terms of the display itself, we never managed to impose ourselves on the game in the first half. We started really not too badly but then we began to look fragile and gave Lille two huge gifts. That gave them confidence and our inconsistency penalised us for 55 minutes. After that it was one-way traffic in the final half hour. We went after them, played with intensity, pushed forward and got the penalty but we missed it. When you don't take chances like that it is more difficult. It is insufficient. They didn't steal their victory, far from it." Patrick Collot (Lille interim coach): "It is hugely satisfying. I am very proud of my players and of how they played, notably in the first half. We were well organised and disciplined. We stuck to our plan, tried to impose our game, moved the ball well and hurt Bordeaux. We snatched the victory thanks to our lucidity, our composure and the fact that we got the breaks with Bordeaux missing the penalty and hitting the bar. When we went to Nantes last weekend there were a lot of question marks about us. We needed to get things going again, and one week later the boys have picked up a draw and two victories. This time surprises me. It is the spirit, the mentality, the courage, the determination, the desire to go and achieve things together." 12/09/2016 Ligue de Football Professionnel / Ligue1.com 3

4 EA Guingamp 2-0 FC Nantes Antoine Kombouaré (Guingamp coach): "We did everything necessary to prevent Nantes from attacking and to batter them and bring them to their knees. I had been waiting a long time for a match like that, in which we took the lead, held onto it and then were able to widen our advantage. Now I can easily speak about Nantes because it is a club that is very, very dear to me. I owe everything to Nantes. Before and during the match they are an enemy. Now I can say that I am sad for what I see at Nantes, to see that team in difficulty and now I will be a faithful supporter of this club that is dear to me." Philippe Mao (Nantes caretaker coach): "The first half was not what I was hoping for. The second half was a little better, but the red card hurt us. We didn't get the reaction we hoped for and we find ourselves in a critical situation. It has been a bit of an odd week with the spanking at home to Lyon, a change of coach, and a general mood that is not easy, with the supporters expecting a lot better. Everyone is down and worried and today we are sad that we were unable to do better and have more chances." AS Monaco 5-0 SC Bastia Leonardo Jardim (Monaco coach): "I am always happy because I like my job. I have a passion for football. For 20 minutes we started the match well. We scored. Bastia came back well after that. Then the second goal killed the match. It is our fifth match in a very short time. Lots of players are very tired. We have five matches left before the winter break and we will need to manage the squad well in order to finish the year well and maintain a good intensity. On Wednesday (in the Champions League), having already qualified, we will be able to play the young players, those who are not used to playing in the Champions League and those who need game time." François Ciccolini (Bastia coach): "That is the way it is. After a coherent first half, even though we were behind, we conceded two goals in quick succession. That was a hammer blow. After that we gave up for different reasons, notably because some of the players had only just come back. We need to bounce back right away against Metz. In our situation, every match is important." Friday, December 2, 2016 SM Caen 3-3 Dijon FCO Patrice Garande (Caen coach): "It was perfect until half-time and we'd done exactly what we needed to do. After that we shwoed nothing and it was collective suicide. I can't believe what I saw as it's totally incomprehensible. The fact we got a draw is like a defeat and I can't explain why we went from one extreme to another. I won't give up. There are three games before the winter break and I need to get the players back up to speed." Olivier Dall'Oglio (Dijon coach): "We didn't turn up in the first half and lost too many 50-50s. We did everything you shouldn't. We set up differently in the second half and I'd like to dedicate the second half to my coaching staff, and my assistant Stéphane Jobard had a good idea. The rest is down to the players. We were worried we'd concede lots and what we saw was a rebellion as my team is mentally strong. The first half was a good lesson for us." Nantes show Girard the door FC Nantes have announced that René Girard has been relieved of his duties as head coach, making way for reserve-team coach Philippe Mao following the 6-0 mid-week humiliation at the hands of Olympique Lyonnais. Girard's future at the club had been in doubt for a while, with Les Canaris last clinching a league win back in Week 9, but Wednesday's 6-0 hammering by Lyon - in front of the club's fans at the Stade de la Beaujoire - proved enough for Nantes president Waldemar Kita, who is not known as someone to second-guess himself in such matters. Thus Girard's tenure at the helm of Les Canaris - and that of his assistants, son Nicolas and Gérard Bernadet - came to an end on Friday morning, a 12/09/2016 Ligue de Football Professionnel / Ligue1.com 4

5 little more than six months after it began. The former Montpellier and Lille coach leaves Nantes with a league record of three wins, four draws and eight defeats, sitting in 19th place, a point shy of safety. The official statement on Nantes' official website named reserve-team coach Philippe Mao as Girard's interim replacement, charged with the task of picking up the piece and readying the squad for a tough trip to Guingamp in Week 16 Ligue 1 action on Saturday evening. CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PSG falter at the last Paris Saint-Germain surprisingly drew 2-2 at home to Ludogorets Razgrad on Tuesday, passing up the chance to finish top of UEFA Champions League Group A. Tuesday, 6 December, 2016 UEFA Champions League - Matchday 6 Parc des Princes Paris Saint-Germain 2-2 Ludogorets Razgrad THE MATCH Needing to at least match Arsenal's result in Basle to finish top of the group, PSG started with clear intentions of not having to rely on the Swiss side springing a surprise. Eight minutes in, Lucas' long-range effort brought a save from Vladislav Stoyanov in the visitors' goal, and he then kicked away Edinson Cavani's follow-up. Ludogorets knew victory would see them finish third and claim a place in the UEFA Europa League Last 32, and Virgil Misidjan gave them the chance to do that. The Dutchman squeezed between Thiago Silva and Maxwell to head past Alphonse Areola and leave the Parc des Princes crowd dumbstruck (15'). Lucas might have scored (20') had his shot not clipped the heel of team-mate Thiago Motta, who was later booked, a caution that means he will miss the first leg of PSG's Last 16 tie. Thiago Silva went closer still, but his header from a Lucas corner found a post (35'). Edinson Cavani - once again - showed his team-mates how to finish with a wonderful scissor kick to equalise (61') after Cicinho had failed to head clear, but with Arsenal leading comfortably in Basle, PSG needed more. Instead, however, eight minutes later they were behind again when Wanderson was picked out by Cafu, who had robbed Marquinhos and crossed for his team-mate to score. PSG pushed late on with Hatem ben Arfa (77') and Thiago Silva (80') going close - the latter heading against the woodwork again - but Arsenal's 4-1 victory in Switzerland meant they needed even more than the equaliser they eventually got through Angel Di Maria (90+2'). THE PLAYER: Thiago Silva Another captain's display from the Brazil international that deserved a goal. THE STAT: 2 12/09/2016 Ligue de Football Professionnel / Ligue1.com 5

6 PSG finish second in the group, and will face a group winner when the Last 16 draw is made on 12 December. Valiant Lyon bow out Olympique Lyonnais went out of the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday after a goalless draw with Sevilla. Wednesday, 7 December, 2016 UEFA Champions League - Matchday 6, Group H Parc OL Olympique Lyonnais 0-0 Sevilla FC THE MATCH Lyon knew that, to overhaul their opponents in the group and pip them to a place in the Last 16, they had to win by a two-goal margin, and Mathieu Valbuena's shot after just three minutes that forced Sergio Rico into a save signalled their intentions. Sevilla did not merely come to defend, however, and former Olympique de Marseille man Samir Nasri led a counter-attack that ended with Vitolo sending a shot off a post with Anthony Lopes beaten (19'). OL had the better of the game before the interval though. Corentin Tolisso headed against the bar (24') before then sending a shot pinging off the frame of Rico's goal (37'). That was as close as Lyon would come. Alexandre Lacazette (70') and Nabil Fekir (88') both fired wide before Rafael sent another effort desperately close to Rico's goal in added time (90+2') at the end of a frustrating night for the hosts, who will now go into the UEFA Europa League. THE PLAYER: Corentin Tolisso Came closest of any OL player to breaking the deadlock. And if he had, who knows what would have happened? THE STAT: 1 OL have now won just one of their last seven home encounters with Spanish teams in European competition. Monaco slump in Leverkusen AS Monaco ended a triumphant UEFA Champions League campaign on the low note of a 3-0 defeat at Bayer Leverkusen on Wednesday. Wednesday 7 December, 2016 UEFA Champions League Matchday 6, Group E BayArena, Leverkusen, Monaco Bayer 04 Leverkusen 3-0 AS Monaco THE MATCH Already through as group winners, Monaco travelled to Germany without pressure. Leverkusen too had secured their spot in the knockout stages, but had a bone to pick with a side they had failed to beat in five previous encounters. Javier Hernandez forced a good save from Morgan De Sanctis (7') early on before 'Chicharito' again forced the experienced Italian goalkeeper into action after being superbly teed up by Julian Brandt (29'). De Sanctis could not keep out Vladlen Yurchenko's stunning shot barely 60 seconds later (30'), though he did thwart Aleksandar Dragovic before the break to keep Monaco in it (35'). 12/09/2016 Ligue de Football Professionnel / Ligue1.com 6

7 Brandt ensured they did not remain so for long after the restart, though his shot was helped past De Sanctis by a ricochet off Jemerson (48'), and there was still more ill fortune for Monaco in the closing stages. After Abdou Diallo had fouled Robbie Kruse in the box, Wendell's penalty hit the crossbar before striking De Sanctis on the back and ending in the net (82'). THE PLAYER: Morgan De Sanctis Despite his unfortunate contribution to the third goal, the Monaco goalkeeper had an excellent evening. THE STAT: 0 Monaco, Ligue 1's leading scorers, did not muster a single shot on target in the game. Matchday 6 reactions - Genesio: 'Proud of my players' Olympique Lyonnais boss Bruno Genesio had praise for his side despite their being eliminated from the Champions League; Monaco boss Leonardo Jardim quashed the suggestion that his side is looking to win the competition. Wednesday, December 7, 2016 UEFA Champions League Matchday 6, Group H Parc OL, Lyon Olympique Lyonnais 0-0 Sevilla FC Bruno Genesio (Olympique Lyonnais coach): "It was tough because there was a lot of density. Our lads have more of a technical profile - our game is not so much about getting in front of goal and hammering away. We needed to play more into the gaps and find cut-backs. We did it well in the first half, but not enough in the second. I'm proud of my players' performance tonight. We pushed them around, and they're the reigning three-time Europa League champions. They are no small team. Now we'll focus on the league until the end of the year, and then we will give our all in this competition. We showed that we're capable of mixing it with one of the best teams in Europe." Adil Rami (FC Sevilla defender): "We knew it wouldn't be easy faced with a talented, technical and quick side with a lot of brilliant individuals. We needed to defend strongly and that's what we managed to do. We were in front and it was up to them to push. They are a young team full of talent and if they had managed to score in the first half, we would have really suffered. But we predicted that, in the second half, they would perhaps get stressed and panic. We stayed tough in the challenge and it paid off. It's true that we won't be able to defend our Europa League title but we're very happy to be among the best 16 teams in Europe!" Group E BayArena, Leverkusen, Monaco Bayer 04 Leverkusen 3-0 AS Monaco Roger Schmidt (Bayer 04 Leverkusen coach): "Our aim was to end the group stage with an unbeaten record. And you could see, right from the first seconds, that the team was striving to achieve that. We constantly created chances and we conceded very few so, overall, it was a very good performance." Leonardo Jardim (AS Monaco coach): "We were looking to win it, as we do in every match. We tried a strategy that's different from our usual one, with players who hadn't had much game time. It was a good quality match. We lacked experience, notably when we lost possession before the first two goals, which were avoidable. (On Monday's round-of-16 draw: All the teams are strong. I'll wait to see what happens on Monday. Win the Champions League? That's not the objective. We are not among the favourites." 12/09/2016 Ligue de Football Professionnel / Ligue1.com 7

8 Tuesday, December 6, 2016 UEFA Champions League Matchday 6, Group A Parc des Princes, Paris Paris Saint-Germain 2-2 Ludogorets Razgrad Unai Emery (Paris Saint-Germain coach): "We are very disappointed tonight, especially because we played very well in London and deserved to come into this game in top spot. Tonight, we had the opportunity to win this match and finish first in the group, but we didn't take it. The disappointment we feel tonight should motivate us to lift and show what we can do in the last-16. We need to improve, and that starts this Sunday against Nice." Georgi Dermendzhiev (Ludogorets coach): "This was our best performance so far. I am very pleased with our performance in the group stage. We are not in the Europa League because Arsenal beat Basel, but because of our own overall performance. Our team is growing all the time. We are happy the Bulgarian fans enjoyed it." EUROPA LEAGUE Söderlund shoots Sainté top, Nice end on a high AS Saint-Etienne's Alexander Söderlund bagged a brace that allowed his side to come back from 2-0 down to beat Anderlecht 3-2 and claim top spot on Group C; a completely changed Nice side claimed a 2-1 win over FK Krasnodar. Thursday, December 8, 2016 UEFA Europa League Matchday 6, Group C Constant Vanden Stock Stadium, Brussels RSC Anderlecht 2-3 AS Saint-Etienne THE MATCH Goals have been a concern for Christophe Galtier's Saint-Etienne side of late - Les Verts scored just four goals in all competitions in November - but Norwegian striker Alexander Söderlund changed that just after the hour-mark with a brace (62', 67') that levelled it at 2-2 and paved the way for Kévin Monnet-Paquet's dramatic 74th-minute winner. The win sees Saint-Etienne go to the top of Group C and collect the seeding that goes with it - they will face a second-placed side in the round of 32 and play the return leg of that fixture at home - but the match could have gone very differently for a Sainté side lined up in a relatively unfamiliar formation. Galtier's men looked shaky in the first half and the Belgians took advantage, Alexandru Chipciu pouncing on Pierre-Yves Poomat's error to take Frank Acheampong's cut-back cross down and fire it past Stéphane Ruffier (21'). Ten minutes later, Nicolae Stanciu - also set up by Acheampong - rounded Leo Lacroix and curled a left-footer into the back of the net (31'). Saint-Etienne thought they were back in it when the referee awarded a penalty for hand-ball but Henri Saivet blasted his effort off the cross-bar (54'). However, a few minutes later, a superb tackle from Kévin Théophile-Catherine set Kévin Malcuit loose down the right to cross for Söderlund, who fended off Toulouse loanee Uros Spajic and shouldered the ball over the line (62'). 12/09/2016 Ligue de Football Professionnel / Ligue1.com 8

9 The Norwegian struck again five minutes later, capping a passage of one-touch play with a point-blank half-volley from a Romain Hamouma cross (67') to make it 2-2. With the momentum in their favour, Saint-Etienne pushed on and, seven minutes later, Hamouma's hard, low cross found Monnet-Paquet at the far post to tap home after Anderlecht 'keepr Davy Roef had intervened to prevent Söderlund from completing his hat-trick (74'). Sainté - who top the group with 12 points from six matches, one point clear of Anderlecht on 11 - will now have to wait until Monday evening to find out who their opponents will be in the round of 32. THE PLAYER: Alexander Söderlund In the space of one match, the Norwegian striker doubled his league goal tally for the season so far, making an extremely strong case to be given the chance to build on his four starts (nine appearances) in the current league campaign. His sharpness in front of goal, couple with the incisive quality of a fit-again Hamouma, who is making his way back in to the starting XI after along injury absence, could well prove key if Saint-Etienne are to get past their goal-scoring difficulties. THE STAT: Lucky 13 Before Thursday night's dramatic come-from-behind win, Saint-Etienne hadn't scored three goals in a game since their 3-1 home win over Lille in Week 7 - that's 13 matches in all competitions. Group I Allianz Riviera, Nice OGC Nice 1-1 FK Krasnodar THE MATCH With his side already eliminated, and with a crunch league clash away to Ligue 1 title-race rivals Paris Saint-Germain looming on Sunday, OGC Nice boss Lucien Favre made no fewer than 11 changes to the side that beat Toulouse 3-0 at the weekend - and still came up wit ha result as his side battled back from a goal down to take it 2-1 thanks to Maxime Le Marchand's opportunistic strike (77') With senior names Mario Balotelli and Mathieu Bodmer standing out somewhat amongst a pool of youth talent - some of whom are yet to make their Ligue 1 debuts - that included Vincent Marcel, Arnaud Souquet and Walter Benitez in goal, as well as a Maxime Le Marchand making his return to action after lengthy knee-injury absence, Favre's new-look side produced some beautiful football. With the technical ease that characterises Favre's teams, Nice played the ball confidently and looked to get forward at every opportunity - as did Krasnodar - but it wasn't until the second half, after a first term poor in chances, that the scoreline changed, Krasnodar's Fyodor Smolov sharply shooting through Le Marchand's legs and past Benitez to squeeze the ball in at the far post (52'). While there were questions about whether the Russian striker had fouled Arnaud Lusamba directly before racing into the area, Nice got back to business and before long were back on level terms, Alexy Bosetti firing home from the spot with a cool Panenka - at the second time asking, due to encroachment during his first, successful attempt (64', pen.) - after Andreas Granqvist had been sent off for a bad tackle on the embattled Lusamaba in the area. A man up, Nice piled forward. Substitutes Bosetti and Hicham Mahou linked up well and, after the former crossed, the latter produced a sublime back-heel flick that sent the ball across the face of goal for Le Marchand to mark his return after a seven-month absence with a simple tap-in (77'). Favre's young side held out for the result that, while anecdotic insofar as Les Aiglons were already eliminated from the competition, augurs well for Sunday's top-of-the-table clash away to Paris Saint-Germain and for Nice's more-than-likely return to European competition next season. THE PLAYER: Maxime Le Marchand A key player in Claude Puel's revelation side last season, Le Marchand indicated on Thursday night that he is on his way back - and not just in terms of recovering from anterior cruciate knee ligament surgery. The 27-year-old showed rock-hard resolve after allowing himself to be nutmegged by Smolov for the opener and was pushing forward looking for the win when he scored just the seventh goal of his seven-year professional career. THE STAT: 91 Despite the fact that Favre changed his entire team for this match, his young 'B' team played with a passing accuracy of 91 per cent, which certainly 12/09/2016 Ligue de Football Professionnel / Ligue1.com 9

10 augurs well for the busy months towards the end of the season as well as for the club's future. Galtier: 'A great win' AS Saint-Etienne coach Christophe Galtier was impressed by his players' turnaround to win 3-2 away to Anderlecht and claim top spot in Group C; Nice boss Lucien Favre had praise for his young, victorious but eliminated side. Thursday, December 8, 2016 UEFA Europa League Matchday 6, Group C Constant Vanden Stock Stadium, Brussels RSC Anderlecht 2-3 AS Saint-Etienne René Weiler (RSC Anderlecht coach): "We dominated the match. We were 2-0 up. I brought on some experienced players. But we didn't get the job done. I hope everyone learned a lesson tonight. When you lack discipline and concentration, and you let complacency creep in, you can't win matches. We are already qualified, so it's mission accomplished, but we didn't get the job done tonight, so we're disappointed." Christophe Galtier (AS Saint-Etienne coach): "I told the lads that they weren't playing with enough verve in the first half. We were playing tip-tap football. I told them they needed to show something else and the pulled out an extraordinary second half. It's a great win, certainly one of the greatest we have enjoyed together. Now we just need to get it into our heads that, at this level, you need to play well in both halves. (On Alexander Söderlund's double) Alex found a way to be in the right place at the right time, and that's his job. For him to fire, I think he needs a particular playing system or formation. We changed things a bit tonight. And we need to build on what we achieved here." Group I Allianz Riviera, Nice OGC Nice 1-1 FK Krasnodar Lucien Favre (OGC Nice coach): "There was a lot to be happy about. Some of the youngsters were making their first senior-team appearance in European competition, lads like Burner, Perraud and Mahou. Marcel showed that he can run at players and move the ball well. There are plenty of things to improve, but I saw some great things - it's promising. The five-man defence worked well. Le Marchand managed 90 minutes in his first game back. He copped a knock on the calf towards the end but in general the match went very well for him. Sunday at the Parc des Princes? I don't yet know what my starting line-up will be. What's important is to maintain our balance." Igor Shalimov (FK Krasnodar coach): "We were ready for the game and the opponent lined up with five defenders. We should have known what to do but, as the result showed, we were totally unprepared. I do not know where our rigidity and aggression came from; we needed to play football, not act tough. This was very embarrassing. I don't want to talk about the refereeing. There was this red card that will leave us witout our captain in the spring. In general, this game was a complete disaster for us." 12/09/2016 Ligue de Football Professionnel / Ligue1.com 10