Nantes and Bordeaux put on a show on Sunday afternoon, with goals raining down in a see-sawing encounter that saw Les Canaris come back from 2-0 to prevail 5-3 and keep their slim hopes of Europe alive.
FC Nantes 5-3 FC Girondins de Bordeaux
THE MATCH
Bordeaux have been struggling for results for most of the season, so when they went into the break 2-0 up thanks to strikes from Mbaye Niang (06') and Javairo Dilrosun (18'), coach David guion could be forgiven for thinking an unutterably precious three points were headed back down the Atlantic coast to Bordeaux.
Enter Kalifa Coulibaly, who got hosts Nantes off to the perfect start in the second half as he capped a fine one-touch team move with a deft finish past Benoît Costil (47'). An own-goal from Ricardo Mangas soon had Nantes on level pegging (51') and even though Enock Kwateng put Bordeaux back in front (70'), Coulibaly wasn't to be denied and he put Nantes back in front with a powerful far-post header from Moses Simon's pin-point cross (72').
The Simon Show
Nigeria forward Simon wasn't done there, however. Just minutes later, he sold the Bordeaux defence with a feinted shot and a quick touch before firing a missile into the back of the net (76') and then - after Alban Lafont's penalty save denied Jimmy Briand a 103rd Ligue 1 Uber Eats goal - Osman Bukari nodded home Randal Kolo Muani's cross to make it 5-3 and round out the scoring.
The win adds further sheen to a more-than-creditable season for Antoine Kombouaré's Coupe de France finalists Nantes, who just a year ago were staring down the barrel of a relegation play-off, while for Bordeaux the defeat was a bitter one after crucial points in the battle to beat the drop (they currently sit 19th, four points shy of 18th-placed Saint-Etienne) slipped through their fingers.
THE PLAYER: Kalifa Coulibaly
Although his game time this season has been hampered by injury and form issues, Kalifa Coulibaly came up trumps against Bordeaux, scoring his third and fourth goals of the Ligue 1 Uber Eats season to first keep Nantes in the match and then to level it after Kwateng re-took the lead for Bordeaux. A crucial performance from a man who is making a great case for inclusion in coach Antoine Kombouaré's plans.
THE STAT: 12
Alban Lafont's save from Jimmy Briand's penalty was the Nantes captain's 12th in Ligue 1 Uber Eats, and his third this season. Lafont has also denied Neymar and Jonathan David from the spot this term and, should he save another before the end of the season, he will beat his previous record of three penalty saves in a single Ligue 1 Uber Eats campaign.
Wins for Nice, Brest
OGC Nice were hoping to bounce back from their 1-0 mid-week derby loss to Monaco and assert their claim on a European finish as they played host to relegation-threatened promoted side Troyes at the Allianz Riviera. And, although they had to wait until the 94th minute of play, when Khéphren Thuram struck his fourth of the season and clinched the 1-0 result that took Les Aiglons to provisional fifth place.
Meanwhile, Stade Brestois 29 continued their push for a top-ten finish as they beat bottom club Metz 1-0 thanks to Youcef Belaïli's lone strike, while Clermont snatched a point after fighting back from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 with Angers.
