Monaco cracked at home against Strasbourg (3-1), a second straight loss to new coach Robert Moreno, Saturday January 25 at a 21e day of Ligue 1 where Marseille stalled against Angers (0-0) but retained its second place pending Lille-PSG Sunday.
On Saturday, the Monegasque club bowed three times against efficient Strasbourg players, and it was only at 3-0 that the revolt was started, through the replacement of Stevan Jovetic. Far too late to hope for anything other than a weak balance sheet, with a 12e place in the ranking (29 points).
The players of Saint Etienne have put on a nice show against Nimes (2-1) for their reunion with their Geoffroy-Guichard audience, after a match played behind closed doors due to a League decision sanctioning massive use of smoke bombs in December. Tunisian Wahbi Khazri, struggling since the start of the season, has regained his effectiveness from last year to score a double. The Stéphanois end a black streak of four consecutive defeats in the league, and go back to 14e rank, with 28 points. For Nîmes (19e, 15 points), these are points lost in the maintenance race, even if Amiens, the roadblocker, was beaten on the lawn of Brest (2-1).
OM penalized by the absence of Payet
Earlier today, the Stade Vélodrome vibrated much less than the Cauldron, for 90 tasteless minutes during which the players of Marseilles have mastered the ball, without providing enough opportunities to destabilize Angers (8e, 30 points). The absence of playing master Dimitri Payet was sorely felt. The Marseille club, which remains undefeated since the end of October, had the margin to keep its second place, after the draw from Rennes to Nice on Friday (1-1). With five points ahead of the Bretons, OM are indeed firmly attached to their position as runner-up.
The Marseillais also see a new competitor pointing the tip of his nose: it is about Montpellier. Winner of Dijon with a sublime free kick from Florent Mollet (2-1), the MHSC finds itself 4e with 33 points, four less than Rennes.
Metz also carried out a good operation: thanks to its success Reims (1-0), the club regained eight points ahead of the 19e.
The championship day ends on Sunday with three matches:
- Toulouse, red lantern moves to Lyon at 3 p.m .;
- Nantes receives Bordeaux at 5 p.m.
- Lille faces PSG at home at 9 p.m.
