NEWSLETTER Week 36 LIGUE 1 CONFORAMA Week 35 review: OL strike Champions League blow, LOSC keep hopes alive OL struck a blow in the race for second place and direct UCL qualification, beating Nantes 2-0 while AS Monaco and OM both drew; LOSC beat all-but relegated FC Metz 3-1 to maintain their slim hopes of survival. What was once a race for third place - and the Champions League qualifiers berth that goes with it - has turned into a race for second and direct qualification for Olympique Lyonnais, whose 2-0 win over Nantes on Saturday was their seventh in a row, leaving them trailing only champions PSG on the Ligue 1 Conforama table. Bruno Genesio once again had in-form Dutchman Memphis Depay to thank for the precious result, 'Dreamchaser' bagging the opener with a crisp turn and finish on the edge of the area before his enterprise in the danger zone teed up Bertrand Traoré for the second and final goal of another impressive performance from the side yearning for a return to Europe's biggest stage. "We had to win and we did so. Our competitors are going to play tonight and tomorrow, so that puts a bit of pressure on them," said OL boss Bruno Genesio after the match on Saturday afternoon. "We wanted to win all our games from Caen [Week 29] on, and for now that's been the case, although there are still three games to go. If we win these three games, I think second place is possible. But I prefer for now to focus on the battle with Marseille." Perhaps Monaco did feel something of the pressure put on by OL as they played host to promoted Amiens at the Stade Louis II. Although there was an eventful end to the match with Monaco's Adama Diakhaby and Amiens' Prince-Désir Gouano seeing red for a scuffle, there were no goals - which suited Amiens, who are now within a whisker of securing top-flight survival - but not so much Monaco, who are now winless in three. "The situation is serious but there are still three games, and nine points. Not being second doesn't change anything," said ASM boss Leonardo Jardim, whose side had been in second place since Week 25 until Saturday evening's draw. "In fact, we may have less anxiety now. But the most important thing is to say that this team has tried to play with intensity. If we are fourth tomorrow nothing changes. We must still fight." Then on Sunday, Marseille had their chance to leapfrog Monaco but Rudi Garcia's side - perhaps with one eye on Thursday's UEFA Europa League quarter-final second-leg tie away to RB Salzburg, in preparation for which star playmaker Dimitri Payet was rested - struggled to deal with Angers' pressure despite Florian Thauvin's converting an early penalty for a 20th of the season that makes him the most prolific French goal scorer among Europe's top five leagues. "I think the draw was a fair result as both teams had enough chances to win it. But, we were 1-0 up and we had a big chance for 2-0 that we would have done well to score," said Garcia, clearly optimistic despite having missed an opportunity with the 1-1 draw. "We dropped two points and that's damaging as we're near the end of the season. There are three games left and Monaco also dropped points. It's not over." Perhaps struggling to access their customary drive and determination after stitching up the title in Week 33, Paris Saint-Germain were under the pump at home to Guingamp but managed to hit back late on thanks to the quality of a certain Edinson Cavani, who bagged a late brace to not only salvage a result but also step further out of the shadow of Zlatan Ibrahimovic by scoring his 114th and 115th Ligue 1 Conforama goals for Paris, topping the Swede's record. "Matches like this show you what can happen if you're not 100 per cent focused for the entire match," explained the Uruguay international. "We need to be concentrating right to the end of the season. It was a good lesson, a reminder of what can happen. I didn't know that I had set a new record, but 05/04/2018 Ligue de Football Professionnel - 2017/2018 - Ligue1.com 1
I'm happy to have written a little more history with this shirt." Meanwhile in-form Saint-Etienne stretched their unbeaten run to 13 and climbed to fifth with a 1-0 win away to direct rivals Montpellier, Romain Hamouma capping a sweeping team move for the only goal of the game that leaves Jean-Louis Gasset's Verts in pole position for UEFA Europa League next season [although, should PSG beat Les Herbiers in the Coupe de France final on May 8, sixth place will also carry European implications]. Like fellow one-time fifth-place contenders Nantes, whose defeat to Lyon saw them slip to tenth, Montpellier are now six points off the pace and trail Rennes, who beat Toulouse 2-1, and Nice, who drew 1-1 in Strasbourg, by five points. A resurgent Bordeaux climbed to ninth after trumping Dijon 3-1 in their third win in four outings. The battle to beat the drop has been every bit as intense as the battles for European places, and LOSC struck a huge blow in their bid to stay in the top flight, hammering - and all but relegating - bottom side FC Metz 3-1 with notably a stunning goal from Nicolas Pepe. "We're still in with a chance with three matches left to play, and that means we can hope," said LOSC boss Christophe Galtier. "But really, all we have done is win one match against Metz - and maybe kill their survival hopes. We need to reproduce this kind of performance in the three matches that remain, and I hope this win serves as inspiration." Inspiration certainly wasn't lacking for ESTAC Troyes, whose veteran captain Benjamin Nivet scored a close-range screamer in the 3-1 win over SM Caen that kept his side's nose in front of LOSC and just two points shy of safety with three matches left to play. Week 35 reactions - Kombouaré: 'We pushed them around' EA Guingamp coach Antoine Kombouaré was immensely proud of his side's testing the new Ligue 1 Conforama champions in the 2-2 draw away to PSG, whose boss Unai Emery appreciated the fight-back from two goals down. Sunday, April 29, 2018 Paris Saint-Germain 2-2 EA Guingamp Unai Emery (Paris Saint-Germain coach): "It was a very open match. It must have been nice entertainment for the fans, but for us, who wanted to control the game, it wasn't great. The team showed a lot of character to come back and played with heart. I'm happy for the fight back, but we didn't do what we needed to do for half the game." Edinson Cavani (Paris Saint-Germain striker): "Matches like this show you what can happen if you're not 100 per cent focused for the entire match. We need to be concentrating right to the end of the season. It was a good lesson, a reminder of what can happen. I didn't know that I had set a new record [115 Ligue 1 goals for Paris, eclipsing Zlatan Ibrahimovic as the club's all-time leading goal scorer in France's top flight], but I'm happy to have written a little more history with this shirt." Antoine Kombouaré (EA Guingamp coach): "Getting a point tonight is good. When you come here, you know what the stats are: 17 wins from 17 home matches, so you know you'll have to be tough. I expected a lot from my players in terms of their capacity to play a huge match and, over and above the result, I'm very happy and very proud. They carried themselves like men and really took the game to PSG. We had 18 shots in the first half; we pressed high and put them off their game. As for the result, the players are very frustrated, even disappointed, but that's not what I want to focus on. What I liked was seeing that we pushed them around - a team who are hunting records." Angers SCO 1-1 Olympique de Marseille Stéphane Moulin (Angers coach): "We're not safe yet. We've taken another step towards safety, even if we dropped two points compared to the 18th and 19th clubs. The point has value because it was obtained against Marseille and because things didn't start well for us. We started playing after about 20-25 minutes and we played flat out through to the finish. I think if either team deserved to win then it was us." 05/04/2018 Ligue de Football Professionnel - 2017/2018 - Ligue1.com 2
Rudi Garcia (Marseille coach): "I think the draw was a fair result as both teams had enough chances to win it. But, we were 1-0 up and we had a big chance for 2-0 that we would have done well to score. The two goalkeepers were very good this evening and that's why this game finished in a draw. We dropped two points and that's damaging as we're near the end of the season. There are three games left and Monaco also dropped points. It's not over." Stade Rennais FC 2-1 Toulouse FC Sabri Lamouchi (Rennes coach): "We're still in the race for Europe. We won but we must make sure we suffer less. We mustn't switch off in games as we did here and we mustn't finish in such a panic. We scared of winning but at the same time I congratulated my players. The closer we've got to our objective, the more we've doubted ourselves. We took the three points but that won't be the case every time if we play matches with so many ups and downs." Mickaël Debève (Toulouse coach): "I thought we'd done the hardest bit and it wasn't enough. That's the frustrating thing at the moment. At the end of the game with more attacking players on the pitch we were unable to take our chances. We knew that the teams behind us were capable of picking up points and their wins didn't affect us. It is down to us now to do all we can against Lille in order to hope to stay in Ligue 1." Saturday, April 28, 2018 Olympique Lyonnais 2-0 FC Nantes Bruno Génésio (Lyon coach): "We had to win ad we did so. Our competitors are going to play tonight and tomorrow, so that puts a bit of pressure on them. We wanted to win all our games from Caen on, and for now that's been the case, although there are still three games to go. If we win these three games, I think second place is possible. But Monaco have their destiny in their hands, so I prefer for now to focus on the match with Marseille." Claudio Ranieri (Nantes coach): "I think Lyon started very well. They had some very dangerous chances. We made a mistake in midfield and conceded the first goal after a counter-attack. In the second half, we played well but we made another mistake that cost us the second goal. Congratulations to Lyon who made the most of their chances. OL are still a very good team and I think they have the chance to finish second." Girondins de Bordeaux 3-1 Dijon FCO Gustavo Poyet (Bordeaux coach): "The first ten minutes were difficult because we had to find the solution in a different system. We pressed high and had three or four chances where we should have scored. Fortunately, in the end, the players who came back helped us a lot and we won. Maybe some people wondered what I did with my changes at the end. I needed to control the game, put a system in place and help the players. We changed completely, we found a position on the field where we controlled more, we were more active, aggressive and that's how we came back into the game. We're going to Saint-Etienne next week. They've gone 13 matches without defeat." Olivier Dall'Oglio (Dijon coach): "It's a game where there weren't many chances for either side. Tactically we were pretty good, we had possession of the ball for a while, but we made a lot of technical mistakes, it cost us the first goal. We were consistent, there was desire and courage. I don't have much to blame the players for. Getting into the top ten would have been exceptional but unfortunately we accumulated a lot of injuries, especially in attack. But we're still on course, I don't feel the team getting derailed." LOSC 3-1 FC Metz Christophe Galtier (Lille coach): "I'm not happy because I had a terrible, extremely difficult professionally with the pressure a coach has on his shoulders. I don't want to leave room for smile, for joy. My players can celebrate this victory, without going overboard, but I remain very focused on my goals." Frédéric Hantz (Metz coach): "It's a defeat that matters, obviously. Since the start of the season, Metz have missed every chance to climb out of the danger zone. The team always fails to focus in key matches. It's a shame, but if we're here, it means we've been missing a lot of things. There are still three matches and we will try to motivate those whom we still can." 05/04/2018 Ligue de Football Professionnel - 2017/2018 - Ligue1.com 3
AS Monaco 0-0 Amiens SC Leonardo Jardim (Monaco coach): "The situation is serious but there are still three games, and nine points. Not being second doesn't change anything. We may have less anxiety. But the most important thing is to say that this team has tried to play with intensity. We put in 32 crosses. I'm very happy with their attitude. Of course, we lacked the final ball. We didn't have a shot on target. But we tried a lot. Falcao? He had a great start to the season. Now he's gone three games without scoring. We played 17 games without defeat. Marseille and Lyon have gone through difficult times too. If we are fourth tomorrow nothing changes. We must still fight." Christophe Pélissier (Amiens coach): "We knew we were going to suffer here. But we were prepared. Compared to our last performance away to Lyon, I asked my players to be a little more enterprising. We were. At half-time, I told my players to stay very compact but also to believe. We tried to pick them off, we played. The players weren't timid. We embarrassed Monaco. Stopping them scoring is a great feat." RC Strasbourg Alsace 1-1 OGC Nice Thierry Laurey (Strasbourg coach): "We had a very good first half and we deserved to be ahead. In the second half, Nice had other intentions. When they break forward we found it difficult. It's annoying not to be better rewarded when boys do the right thing. Tonight, we took a point against Nice, but we would have preferred to win. But I'm very proud of the players because they played a big game." Lucien Favre (Nice coach): "In the first half, we suffered because Strasbourg played well. They're all physically strong, but we knew that. It was better in the second half. We had clear chances at the end. I don't know if it's a bad deal but we came back, so it's still positive. It's not easy to win here. We are going to Marseille and Lyon next. The relegation battle and Europa league chase will keep everyone occupied until the end." ESTAC Troyes 3-1 SM Caen Jean-Louis Garcia (Troyes coach): "We suffered early on. I could sense my players were tense. But Ivan Santini's goal woke us up. It's a huge relief, but we never gave up. We've been suffering for some time but tonight we were rewarded. We've passed the 30 point mark. We are far from save but this win helps. Even if we don't do everything right we give everything. This match will do a lot of good. Lille won, but teams in front of us can start to worry a little." Patrice Garande (Caen coach): "I'm disappointed. We made a good start that lasted four minutes. We'd improved some things in recent matches but forget about them tonight. It's not good enough. I realise we were getting shut down but in these situations you need to be supportive, intelligent to find a way." Friday, April 27, 2018 Montpellier Hérault SC 0-1 AS Saint-Etienne Michel Der Zakarian (Montpellier coach): "In terms of the team spirit and the mentality of my players I have nothing to say. They gave their all. But since the start of the season we have always had the problem of precision in the final third. In this match we were out of luck too. When you get a penalty you should be able to stick it away. We'll have to see about Europe now. We've just lost three games in a row and Saint-Etienne are six points clear of us." Jean-Louis Gasset (Saint-Etienne coach): "It was a laborious victory. Montpellier prevented us from playing our football by pressing us throughout the match. We needed to fall back on other values and defend well. We managed it thanks to an exceptional goalkeeper who made one or two miraculous saves and stopped a penalty. We are on a great run and we still have three games to play. Every match we manage to show a different facet to our play." 05/04/2018 Ligue de Football Professionnel - 2017/2018 - Ligue1.com 4
UEFA EUROPA LEAGUE Marseille cling on in Salzburg to reach Europa League final Rolando was the unlikely hero as the Olympique de Marseille defender scored the decisive away goal to take the Ligue 1 Conforama side into the UEFA Europa League final despite a 2-1 defeat to RB Salzburg on Thursday. Thursday, 3 May, 2018 UEFA Europa League semi-final second leg Red Bull Arena, Salzburg RB Salzburg 2-1 Olympique de Marseille (2-3 on aggregate) THE MATCH Marseille headed to Austria with a two-goal advantage after last week's first-leg triumph, but against a team that had already seen off Borussia Dortmund and Lazio en route to the last four, the visitors could not rest on their laurels. A Morgan Sanson shot that flew just wide (17') was all OM could muster before the break as both sides felt each other out before stepping up the tempo and their efforts after the interval. Lucas Ocampos (46') and Valère Germain (49'), leading the line in the absence of the injured Kostas Mitroglou, both had efforts at goal before the hosts seized the initiative. Amadou Haidara's second goal of this season's competition reduced the Austrians' deficit to one (53') before Bouna Sarr's unfortunate own-goal - the Marseille wing-back stuck out a foot to send Xaver Schlager's off-target shot into his own net (65') - levelled the aggregate scores. Marseille were rattled, and they needed goalkeeper Yohann Pelé to keep out Hee-Chan Hwang's shot following Valon Berisha's smart backheel (71'). Florian Thauvin sent a looping header off the crossbar (73'), but the hosts had the momentum heading into extra-time. Pelé brilliantly kept out Salzburg, pushing away Duje Caleta-Car's powerful header (99'), and the stop's value was doubled when Rolando, who had replaced Sanson on 101 minutes, connected with a Dimitri Payet corner, sending the ball low past Alexander Walke (116') to take OM into the final against Atletico Madrid in Lyon on 16 May. THE PLAYER: Yohann Pelé The former Toulouse goalkeeper has had a huge number of obstacles to overcome to get this far, and again showed he is so much more than just number two to Steve Mandanda. Without his saves, particularly the one in extra-time, Marseille would not be going through. THE STAT: 5 This is Marseille's fifth European final, and first in 14 years since the 2003/04 UEFA Cup final. 05/04/2018 Ligue de Football Professionnel - 2017/2018 - Ligue1.com 5
OM's Garcia: 'Do everything to win' Olympique de Marseille boss Rudi Garcia was a very happy man after his team qualified for the Europa League final in the dying seconds of their tense semi-final tie with Red Bull Salzburg. Thursday, 3 May, 2018 UEFA Europa League semi-final second leg Red Bull Arena, Salzburg RB Salzburg 2-1 Olympique de Marseille (2-3 on aggregate) Marco Rose (FC Red Bull Salzburg): " I'm very, very proud of my team. I think my players represented Austrian football very well. It's great that this club has a reputation for developing young talent, especially as it hasn't prevented us from pursuing some lofty ambitions. I think that, in the end, Marseille were a bit luckier than we were, but I congratulate them. Now we'll watch the rest of the tournament on the television." Rudi Garcia (Olympique de Marseille coach): "When it's hard to qualify, it's even better, as they say. I'm happy for the players, for my staff, for the Club and Olympique de Marseille. We all deserve to go to the final. Tonight the atmosphere was once again fantastic in the European Cup, because we scored at the end of the match, by a late substitute. I put Rolando in with the hope he'd have the opportunity to score and then he did it. I am delighted for the group and for our supporters, the people of Marseille and all of France - everyone who has come to love this team. They are right to love it because we give everything, we plays as a team, we have character. We will bring the people of Marseille to Lyon for the final and we will do everything to win this trophy, although obviously we will be up against a very good team in Atlético de Madrid." 05/04/2018 Ligue de Football Professionnel - 2017/2018 - Ligue1.com 6