PSG will get better after smashing Lyon 4-1

After smashing their most likely rivals for the Ligue 1 title, Lyon, 4-1 in the Trophee des Champions, on Saturday, PSG’s new manager, Unai Emery has said there is more to come from his team.

Javier Pastore scored the opening goal on nine minutes, while Lucas Moura and new signing; Ben Arfa added two more before the first half break.

Left back, Layvin Kurzawa added a fourth nine minutes into the second half before Corentin Tolisso got a consolation for Lyon.

“I’m happy with the win and the performance of the team, even if we can improve things,” Emery said in the post-match press conference.

“The team has worked hard physically throughout the pre-season and continued tonight.

“We played a tough game, Lyon had the ball possession, but we managed to take over.

“The championship will be difficult but I have confidence in the team to give the best.”

The former Sevilla manager later wrote on Twitter, “Glad to have accomplished the first goal of the season. We have a lot more ground to cover together.”

PSG are undoubted contenders for the Ligue 1 title, which would be a fifth consecutive title but it is in Europe that they would love to make their mark in the UEFA Champions League. The season starts at Bastia for the defending champions next Friday.

Read More

BOUFAL NAMED BEST AFRICAN IN LIGUE 1

Moroccan midfielder Sofiane Boufal has been named the best African player in Ligue 1.

The Lille player beat Algerian Rachid Ghezzal of Olympique Lyon and Senegal’s Cheikh N’Doye of Angers to win the Marc-Vivien Foe Trophy, named after the Cameroon international who died of a heart attack in 2003.

Boufal succeeds Andre Ayew, who won the award last year before leaving Marseille at the end of the 2014/15 season and signing for Premier League side Swansea.

Boufal may well follow in the Ghanaian’s footsteps, having been strongly linked to Tottenham Hotspur, while new English champions Leicester City have also been mentioned in the British media as possible suitors.

Boufal is the third Moroccan to win the award, joining countrymen Marouane Chamakh (2009) and Younes Belhanda (2012).

The 22-year-old’s award comes in recognition of the 11 goals and five assists he has provided for Lille in Ligue 1.

Lille will complete their 2015/16 league season with a match away to Saint-Etienne on Saturday night, but Boufal will miss the encounter due to injury. 

Read More

Di Maria: LVG played me out of position

The former Real Madrid star had a disastrous one year in England after making a British record move but has been revitalised in France and has hailed the methods of current boss Blanc, who he credits for an impressive campaign which has seen him score nine league goals and produce 11 assists from 24 games.

Read More

Zlatan Ibrahimovic scores hat-trick as champions PSG coast past Nice

Zlatan Ibrahimovic celebrates one of his three goals for Paris Saint-Germain during their 4-1 win against Nice, where he became the first French top-flight player to score more than 30 goals in a season since Carlos Bianchi for Stade de Reims in 1975-76. 

Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored a hat-trick as Paris Saint-Germain geared up for their Champions League clash against Manchester City with a 4-1 Ligue 1 home win over Nice on Saturday. 

Ibrahimovic scored twice in the first half and once in the second, while David Luiz added a third in the second half after Hatem Ben Arfa had pulled one back for the visitors early on.

PSG, who were crowned champions last month, have 80 points and with six games left lead second-placed Monaco, who lost 2-1 at home to Bordeaux on Friday, by 25 points. Nice, who had a chance to reduce the gap with Monaco to two points, lag in third place five points behind. They will be leapfrogged by Lyon if they beat Lorient away on Sunday.

At the Parc des Princes, there was a minute of applause when the face of the former Holland great Johan Cruyff, who died last week, appeared on the giant screen. Having lost and drawn their past two league games, anything other than a win would have damaged PSG’s confidence before they take on City in their Champions League quarter-final first leg on Wednesday.

Ibrahimovic opened the scoring in the 15th minute with a powerful cross shot after being set up by David Luiz. Ben Arfa, who hopes to make it into France coach Didier Deschamps’s 23-man squad for Euro 2016, responded with a superb curling shot that went past Kevin Trapp.
The Sweden striker Ibrahimovic put Laurent Blanc’s side ahead again with a free-kick into the top corner in the 34th minute. David Luiz gave PSG a two-goal lead three minutes into the second half with a downward header from a corner.

Ibrahimovic wrapped it up eight minutes from time from close range by latching on to Adrien Rabiot’s cross for his 30th league goal in the season, equalling his tally from the 2012-13 season. The last player to score more than 30 goals in a French top-flight season was Argentina’s Carlos Bianchi for Stade de Reims in 1975-76, with 34.

Read More

Ben Arfa plans Cruyff high tribute

OGC Nice star Hatem Ben Arfa has said he will be looking to pay tribute to recently deceased legend Johan Cruyff by performing the Dutchman's signature move away to Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes.

Read More

Ligue 1 Preview: AS Monaco 1 - 2 Girondins de Bordeaux

Jérôme Prior has been preferred in goal to 18-year-old loanee Paul Bernardoni since Ramé replaced Willy Sagnol as Bordeaux coach three weeks ago, and the FCGB academy graduate had an early chance to show why, denying Monaco midfielder Farès Bahlouli what would have been his first Ligue 1 goal after a volley from the edge of the box (7').

Read More

Diaby debut ends in defeat as Marseille loses.

Marseille remain without a win at their Stade Vélodrome since mid-September after falling 5-2 to Europe-chasing Rennes. Yoann Gourcuff scored twice (4', 59') to help lift Rolland Courbis' side to a provisional third.

 Olympique de Marseille 2 - 5 Stade Rennais FC 

It has been a miserable run at home for Les Phocéens, whose last victory on the French south coast came against SC Bastia back in Week 5. Stade Rennais bounced into the game five places and six points better off than their embattled hosts, and they flew into a three-goal lead inside the opening 15 minutes.

Read More

ANGERS RETURN TO WINNING WAYS WITH LORIENT ROUT

Ketkeophomphone of Angers

Angers SCO picked up their first win since January, cruising past FC Lorient 5-1 thanks to goals from Billy Ketkeophomphone (14'), Thomas Mangani (33', pen. 90')), Romain Saïss (39') and Cheikh Ndoye (81').

 Angers SCO 5 - 1 FC Lorient 

Angers were third in the table after beating AS Monaco 3-0 back in Week 23. In 12th coming into this Week 31 clash, Stéphane Moulin's side looked far more like the team who stunned Ligue 1 with their early-season form up against a Lorient side undefeated in their previous four games.

Read More

SANKHARÉ POWERS GUINGAMP PAST REIMS

En Avant de Guingamp pulled five points clear of the drop zone with a 1-0 win at Stade de Reims. Younousse Sankharé's goal (26') separated the sides and left the hosts in the bottom three.

 Stade de Reims 0 - 1 EA Guingamp 

Guingamp made the 600 kilometre journey east to Champagne country with only two point separating them in 16th from their hosts in 17th. Despite a confidence-boosting 2-0 win over AS Saint-Étienne last time out, Jocelyn Gourvennec's side surrendered the early initiative to the hosts.

Hamari Traoré raced down the flank before cutting back for Gaëtan Charbonnier, but the striker missed what should have been his fifth goal of the season from close range (9'). Charbonnier's strike partner Nicolas de Préville then attempted an audacious free-kick from fully 40 metres out, but his effort stayed out after hitting the woodwork (16').

It was somewhat against the run of play, then, when Sankharé made it 1-0 at the other end. The Senegal midfielder used his strength to fend off Abdelhamid El Kaoutari before beating Johann Carrasso from a tight angle to score his fifth - and surely best - goal of this Ligue 1 campaign (26').




Reims frustrated

De Préville had another free-kick inside the hour, and this time he sent a wicked ball into the box instead of going for goal. Aïssa Mandi tried to convert at the back post but the captain was denied by a recovering Jérémy Sorbon (58').

With their 1-0 lead, Guingamp camped 11 players behind the ball for the final half-hour, and Mandi's shot from distance which sailed over Jonas Lossl's goal (69') summed up a frustrating evening for Olivier Guégan's side.

To their credit, Reims never let up, and they nearly snatched a share of the spoils deep into injury-time when substitute Lass Bangoura found himself unmarked at the back post, but Lossl saved (90+2') and it ended 1-0 to the Bretons.

Read More

Lyon leaves it late

Olympique Lyonnais were frustrated for long periods by FC Nantes, but 19-year-old Gaëtan Perrin scored his first professional goal (83') before Alexandre Lacazette converted a penalty (90+4') for a 2-0 win.

 Olympique Lyonnais 2 - 0 FC Nantes 

Lyon had slipped off the podium following Sunday's disappointing 2-2 draw with Stade Rennais, though they were keen to make amends against a Nantes side who began the day just two points and one place behind Les Gones in sixth.

Read More

SAINT-ETIENNE COME GOOD TO BEAT MONTPELLIER

Saint Etienne Montpellier Assou Ekotto

AS Saint-Etienne scored three late goals to sink Montpellier Hérault SC 3-0 at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard and get back on track in their bid for Europe.

 AS Saint-Etienne  3 - 0  Montpellier Hérault SC 

Nolan Roux opened the scoring for Les Verts in the 74th minute and Saint-Etienne then ran away with the game as substitute Oussama Tannane doubled their lead 10 minutes from time and Valentin Eysseric made sure of a welcome win.

Read More

Lille win again. Enyeama makes brilliant save to keep clean slate

Morgan Amalitano scored the only goal as LOSC won again on Saturday, beating relegation-threatened Toulouse FC 1-0 at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.

 LOSC  1 - 0  Toulouse FC 

Amalfitano struck in the 17th minute in France's far north as he netted his first goal since returning to Ligue 1 following a stint in England. The former FC Lorient and Olympique de Marseille midfielder controlled and fired home low from just inside the area, although the goal owed much to the talent of Sofiane Boufal, who took down a Florent Balmont pass and succeeded in laying the ball off for Amalfitano while under pressure from the Toulouse defence.

Read More

Caen beats Troyes sinking them further into relegation trouble

SM Caen came from behind to beat ESTAC Troyes 2-1 at the Stade Michel-d'Ornano on Saturday and leave the visitors on the brink of being relegated.

 SM Caen  2 - 1  ESTAC Troyes 

Xavier Thiago put Troyes ahead midway through the first half in Normandy only for Alaeddine Yahia to equalise 10 minutes before the interval. Ronny Rodelin then netted the winner for Caen in the 54th minute as Patrice Garande's side bounced back from last weekend's 1-0 loss to GFC Ajaccio in Corsica.

Read More

Bordeaux defeats Bastia in Coach Ulrich Rame first match

Axel Ngando's 84th-minute equaliser earned SC Bastia a 1-1 draw away to Girondins de Bordeaux on Sunday as Ulrich Ramé was left frustrated on his coaching debut.

 Girondins de Bordeaux  1 - 1  SC Bastia 

Bordeaux had looked set to come away with a precious victory when Diego Contento put them ahead with just eight minutes left at the Matmut Atlantique, but Ngando levelled just two minutes later to ensure a share of the spoils.

Read More

NICE KEEP ON COURSE FOR PODIUM

Hatem ben Arfa found the net as OGC Nice won 3-0 at home to GFC Ajaccio on Sunday to pick up a third successive win and continue their push for a top-three finish.

Ben Arfa's 12th goal of the season gave Nice the ideal platform to build on after just 14 minutes, and Alassane Pléa found the net on 66 minutes - taking his tally to four for the L1 campaign - before Jean Michael Seri rounded things off (88') to move Claude Puel's men back into third, leapfrogging Olympique Lyonnais, who had claimed third place with their victory over FC Nantes on Saturday.

Read More

Match Review: PSG 0 vs Monaco 2

Paris Saint-Germain were beaten 2-0 by Monaco on Sunday, their first league loss at home in 35 matches.

Laurent Blanc lamented Paris Saint-Germain's efficiency but insisted the Ligue 1 champions "could not have done more offensively" to prevent defeat against Monaco.

Read More

PSG win Ligue 1 title with 9-0 win over Troyes

Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored four as Paris St Germain wrapped up the Ligue 1 title in emphatic fashion with a 9-0 win over bottom club Troyes.

Read More