Ligue 1 does not do quiet weekends, and Matchweek 7 was another noisy one. Nine games produced 35 goals, three home wins, five away wins, one draw and a single red card, and seven penalties were scored, with two more missed. Paris FC beat Rennes 4-3 with a penalty in the seventh minute of stoppage time, Marseille won 5-2 at Angers, and Paris Saint-Germain came from behind at Strasbourg. When the dust settled, Lyon were top, with four more clubs level with them on 14 points. Here is how every game played out in Ligue 1, from Friday to Sunday.
Le Mans 0-3 Toulouse
A tight game for 45 minutes turned into a comfortable win for the visitors. It was goalless at the break, and Toulouse needed barely a minute of the second half to change that, Jacen Russell-Rowe scoring with his left foot on 46 minutes from an Aron Dønnum pass. Dønnum made it 2-0 himself on 59 minutes, and Casper Tengstedt added a third on 87, set up by Cristian Cásseres Jr.. The numbers explain why Le Mans will not be pleased. They had 53 per cent of the ball, 566 passes at 87 per cent accuracy and 11 shots, but only one of them was on target, against five from Toulouse, whose 13 shots were worth 2.06 expected goals to the hosts' 0.61. There were no bookings until the second half, when Russell-Rowe was cautioned for unsportsmanlike conduct, and Samuel Yohou and Djibril Sidibé were booked for Le Mans in the closing minutes. Toulouse climb four places to 11th on nine points. Le Mans drop two to 16th on six.
Toulouse players celebrate at Le Mans. Photo: Icon Sport via Footeo
Strasbourg 1-3 Paris Saint-Germain
Paris Saint-Germain had 73 per cent of the ball and still trailed for most of the game. Strasbourg went in front on 17 minutes through Giovanni Reyna, set up by Gessime Yassine, and for an hour they held on despite PSG completing 675 passes to their 246. Ousmane Dembélé then missed a penalty on 72 minutes, a moment that could have broken PSG's rhythm. Instead he set up the equaliser, a Illia Zabarnyi finish from a corner on 77, and scored the second himself on 85 with his left foot. Désiré Doué sealed it in the third minute of stoppage time, from a pass by Ferrán Torres. Strasbourg had 16 shots to PSG's 18 and eight on target to seven, but PSG's 2.36 expected goals beat their 1.32. Two Strasbourg bookings, for Conrad Harder and Dário Essugo, were the only cards. PSG have won four in a row and are second on 14 points. Strasbourg, 14th, have seven.
Paris Saint-Germain players celebrate at Strasbourg. Photo: Getty Images, via Goal.com
Troyes 1-3 Lens
Lens won this one with the help of an own goal. Troyes's Adrien Monfray put the ball into his own net from a corner on 13 minutes, and Troyes were behind before Lens had done anything. Timothé Nkada levelled before the half-hour with a left-footed finish, but Odsonne Édouard restored Lens's lead in first-half stoppage time, set up by Florian Thauvin, and Ruben Aguilar headed the third on 55 minutes, again from a Thauvin pass. The game was closer than the scoreline, with 12 shots for Troyes to Lens's 13, five on target to three, six corners to four and 1.47 expected goals to 1.85. Lens had 59 per cent of the ball and 540 passes at 84 per cent accuracy. Each side was booked twice, Junior Diaz and Renaud Ripart for Troyes and Samson Baidoo and Amadou Haidara for Lens. Lens rise from tenth to eighth on ten points. Troyes, 17th on four, have the worst goal difference in the league, minus 11.
Troyes v Lens. Photo: Kicker
Lille 1-1 Brest
Lille did everything but win. Lille had 67 per cent of the ball, 648 passes at 91 per cent accuracy, 17 shots to eight, five corners to two and 2.06 expected goals to 0.79, and still had to settle for a point. Brest had gone in front on six minutes, Mama Baldé scoring from a corner, with Gautier Lloris the creator, and it took until the 64th minute for Olivier Giroud to equalise from the penalty spot. It was a niggly game for the visitors, who committed 20 fouls to Lille's 12 and collected two yellow cards, for Kamory Doumbia and Bradley Locko, as Brest hung on. Calvin Verdonk was booked for Lille in the 90th minute. The result left Lille on 14 points, but they slipped from second to fourth. Brest, who had 33 per cent of the ball and eight shots, drop from seventh to tenth on nine points.
Lille's Bakwa and Olivier Giroud. Photo: BFMTV
Angers 2-5 Marseille
If this score looks familiar, it should: Marseille also won 5-2 at Angers when the sides met in January. The first three goals here were all headers, Lilian Raolisoa putting Angers ahead on 14 minutes, Himad Abdelli levelling on 37, set up by Timothy Weah, and Nouhoum Kamissoko putting Marseille in front on 43, set up by Emerson. Amine Gouiri had a penalty saved on 59 minutes and scored from open play a minute later, before Amine El Ouazzani brought Angers back to 2-3 from the spot on 75. Marseille then pulled clear through Amine Harit, set up by Tochukwu Nnadi, on 83, and Igor Paixão, set up by Weah, on 85. Marseille had 21 shots to 11, eight on target to three, and 3.54 expected goals to 1.80. Marseille climb four places to ninth on nine points, though they still have more defeats than wins. Angers, 15th, have seven.
Marseille at Angers. Photo: So Foot
Paris FC 4-3 Rennes
The most dramatic game of the weekend by some distance. Maxime Lopez put Paris FC ahead on 14 minutes, set up by Lassine Sinayoko, and from then on Rennes kept hitting back from the penalty spot, three times. Estéban Lepaul equalised from a penalty on 29 minutes, Lopez made it 2-1 in first-half stoppage time, again set up by Sinayoko, and Lepaul equalised from the spot on 74. Sinayoko put Paris FC back in front on 76, but Lepaul completed a hat-trick of penalties on 88 to level at 3-3. That left time for Sinayoko to win it himself, with a penalty in the seventh minute of stoppage time. The expected goals were almost level, 3.10 to 3.01, with 19 shots to 12 and nine on target to seven. Rennes had four players booked in the first half. Paris FC rise from fifth to third on 14 points. Rennes, who have scored 15 goals in seven games, more than anybody else in Ligue 1, are sixth on 13.
Paris FC v Rennes. Photo: Icon Sport via So Foot
Lorient 1-0 Monaco
Monaco had dropped points before this season but never lost in the league, and this one will sting. Lorient had less of the ball, 42 per cent, and fewer shots, nine to 15, yet their chances were worth more, 1.94 expected goals to 0.49. The match turned on a spell just before the hour: Mohammed Salisu was booked on 57 minutes, Nazinho and Denis Zakaria were both booked on 60, and on 61 Noah Cadiou converted a penalty to give Lorient the only goal. Cadiou was booked himself five minutes later, Arsène Kouassi followed for Lorient on 76, and Christian Mawissa was booked for Monaco on 80. Monaco had 661 passes at 90 per cent accuracy, 16 fouls and four yellow cards in all, but they could not find a way through. It was Monaco's first league defeat of the season, dropping them from first to fifth on 14 points. Lorient rise from eighth to seventh on 11.
Lorient v Monaco. Photo: So Foot
Le Havre 1-3 Auxerre
Le Havre are still waiting for their first league win, and this was not the afternoon it arrived. Auxerre's Danny Namaso scored twice, a right-footed finish on 40 minutes from a Kévin Danois pass and a second on 61 set up by Romain Faivre, and Faivre then scored himself on 80, set up by Namaso, so Namaso had two goals and an assist. Rayan Fofana gave Le Havre brief hope on 66 minutes. Le Havre had 15 shots to 13, six on target each, seven corners to four and 52 per cent of the ball, with 1.59 expected goals to 1.97, so it was closer than three goals suggest. Auxerre committed 22 fouls to the hosts' 16 and had two players booked, Clément Akpa and Naouirou Ahamada, to one for Le Havre, Mouhamed Lamine Ndiaye. Auxerre climb from 16th to 12th on nine points. Le Havre, bottom, have two points from seven.
Le Havre v Auxerre. Photo: Foot Africa
Lyon 2-1 Nice
Lyon went top of Ligue 1 the hard way, coming from behind and then doing the rest with ten men. Elye Wahi put Nice ahead on 18 minutes, set up by Jonathan Clauss, but Lyon answered twice in four minutes, Pavel Šulc equalising on 32 and Tanner Tessmann heading the winner on 36 from a Zachary Athekame pass. Substitute Keito Nakamura was sent off on 70 minutes for a foul, and Lyon had to defend a lead through the last 20. Nice had 12 shots to eight, nine corners to one and 52 per cent of the ball, but Lyon's chances were worth more, 1.70 expected goals to 1.19, and Nice had four players booked, Niels Nkounkou, Mohamed Abdelmonem, Mohamed Amoura and Wahi, to none for Lyon. The win lifts Lyon from fourth to first on 14 points, with the best goal difference in the league at plus eight. Nice drop four places to 13th on eight.
Lyon players celebrate against Nice. Photo: IMAGO via Sofascore
Ligue 1 table after Matchweek 7, and what comes next
Seven games in, Lyon lead the Ligue 1 table on 14 points, with Paris Saint-Germain, Paris FC, Lille and Monaco all level with them on 14. Rennes are sixth on 13. At the bottom, Le Havre are 18th on two points with no win, and Troyes 17th on four. Matchweek 8 brings plenty to watch: Paris Saint-Germain v Lyon on Sunday is a meeting of the second and first, Monaco v Lille puts two of the five clubs on 14 points together, and Lens v Paris FC on Saturday has another of them in action. Every fixture is on our Ligue 1 fixtures page.
