Ahead of the international break, Ligue 1 began to take shape as four games in, Marseille remained in commanding form. Elsewhere, the big spenders from Paris picked up three points for the first time thanks to that man Zlatan.
Lyon may have lost star goalkeeper Hugo Lloris to Premier League side Spurs but managed a 3-2 victory over a Valenciennes team who had not conceded any goals prior to the match. Brazilian defender Gil opened the scoring early in the match but his goal was cancelled out by a Michel Bastos strike six minutes later.
Lyon then took the advantage from the penalty spot through Bafetimbi Gomis before the lead was further extended in the second half by Clement Grenier. Gregory Pujol pulled a goal back for Valenciennes but it was Lyon who took the three points.
Ajaccio managed a 2-0 victory at home to Evian. Goals from Carl Medjani and Johan Cavalli handed the Corsican side an impressive victory.
Ajaccio’s local rivals Bastia were not as successful at home to St Etienne. The game was effectively over after just half an hour following goals from Renaud Cohade and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. St Etienne were able to add a third goal with just one minute of regular time to play when Joshua Guilavogui hit the back of the net with his shot.
Brest were fortunate to beat newly-promoted Troyes 2-1. Israeli striker Eden Ben Basat gave the home side the advantage just after the ten-minute mark, a lead which lasted until midway through the second half when Troyes replied through Mounir Obbadi. Just as the match looked to be heading for a draw, Geoffrey Dernis struck the winner for Brest.
Lorient continued their impressive start to the season with a 3-0 victory over Nancy. Ludovic Giuly opened the scoring before defender Lamine Kone doubled the advantage just after the half-hour mark. The rout was completed towards the end of the match when Alain Traore made it 3-0 to the home side.
Champions Montpellier managed their first win of the season away to Sochaux. Younes Belhanda struck first for Montpellier, finding the back of the net from the penalty spot. In the second half, Emanuel Herrera doubled the advantage before Sloan Privat pulled a goal back for Sochaux. Any chance of a comeback from the home side was ended when Remy Cabella added Montpellier’s third with five minutes remaining. Even at this early stage of the season, Sochaux are looking like strong candidates for relegation.
Newly-promoted Reims earned themselves a point away to Toulouse. They took the lead in the second half when Toulouse defender Aymen Abdennour hit the ball into his own net. Reims could have held on for victory but a goal scored in extra time by Wissam Ben Yedder ensured the points were shared on this occasion.
Sunday’s games kicked off with Bordeaux drawing 1-1 at home to Nice. Bordeaux did not let the red card given to defender Ludovic Sane dampen their hopes and took the lead through 21 year-old Football Manager favourite Henri Saivet. A strike in extra time from Mahamane Traore sealed a point for Nice in the end.
League leaders Marseille welcomed deadline-day signing Joey Barton to the club on loan and extended their 100% record with a 3-1 victory over Rennes. Jeremy Morel gave the league-leaders the advantage after just over half an hour played. Rennes fought back and managed to equalise before the hour mark through Julien Feret. As the game approached completion, Andre-Pierre Gignac added Marseille’s second late in the game before an own goal from Rennes defender Romain Danze in extra time ensured that all three points went in favour of the home side.
The final match of the weekend saw Lille host Paris Saint-Germain. Zlatan Ibrahimovic gave the away side the lead in under a minute before Lille defender Aurelien Chedjou equalised ten minutes later. Ibrahimovic then struck again to put PSG back in front by half time. Lille were unable to respond in the second half giving the capital-city club their first victory of the season.
Results:
Lyon 3-2 Valenciennes; Ajaccio 2-0 Evian; Bastia 0-3 St Etienne; Brest 2-1 Troyes; Lorient 3-0 Nancy; Sochaux 1-3 Montpellier; Toulouse 1-1 Reims; Bordeaux 1-1 Nice; Marseille 3-1 Rennes; Lille 1-2 PSG
Good week: Marseille – Another week, another victory for the former champions as they stay top of the Ligue 1 table with a 100% record.
Bad week: Sochaux – At the opposite end of the table, Sochaux look to be struggling at this early stage. They will be hoping to get points on the board very soon before survival begins to drift away from them.
Jason Milligan is a columnist and editor at French Football Weekly. You can follow him on Twitter @J_746
