RC Lens and Olympique de Marseille both won on Wednesday to keep pace with Paris Saint-Germain at the top of the table. Lens hit five against FC Lorient, while Lyon, Nice and Montpellier also won.
Inspirational captain Seko Fofana was not in the Lens line-up at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis but Les Sang et Or did just fine without their midfield star, beating Lorient 5-2 to stay level on points at the top of the table with PSG.
Florian Sotoca, the captain for the night, gave Lens the lead with a backpost tap-in midway through the first half, and Wesley Saïd sidestepped two Lorient defenders in the box to make it 2-0 soon after.
Lorient did hit back, though, as Nigerian striker Terem Moffi backheeled in from a Dango Ouattara assist four minutes before half-time and then scored the equaliser from close range at a corner five minutes into the second half. Nevertheless, Lens went back in front through Salis Abdul Samed in the 57th minute. Loïs Openda had a goal disallowed following a VAR review, but an outstanding finish by Sotoca for his second of the evening made it 4-2, and an Openda solo effort in the 86th minute sealed another impressive win for Franck Haise’s unbeaten side.
A fine night for Lens was completed by the news that Fofana had agreed to sign a contract extension through to 2025.
Meanwhile Marseille are also level on points at the table although they made heavier weather of beating Clermont Foot 63, running out 1-0 winners at the Orange Vélodrome. Valentin Rongier and Nuno Tavares both struck the bar in the first half for Igor Tudor’s side, before the opener arrived four minutes into the second half, Pape Gueye scoring from a Mattéo Guendouzi corner. Clermont themselves hit the bar twice in quick succession as they threatened an equaliser, but one goal was enough for OM, who saw Alexis Sánchez have a late penalty saved by Mory Diaw after Chancel Mbemba had been fouled.
Lyon edge Auxerre
Olympique Lyonnais are also still unbeaten, and sit on 10 points with a game in hand, after grinding out a 2-1 win over AJ Auxerre earlier at the Groupama Stadium. OL went ahead just before the half-hour mark, early pressure paying off as Karl Toko-Ekambi’s ball across the face of goal was turned in at the far post by Tetê. Alexandre Lacazette had a goal disallowed early in the second half but Toko-Ekambi turned in a Rayan Cherki corner to make it 2-0 in the 72nd minute and Lyon held on despite Auxerre reducing the deficit when Mathias Autret finished off a counterattack 10 minutes from the end.
Montpellier win again
Montpellier Hérault SC followed up their stunning 7-0 success in Brest at the weekend by beating struggling AC Ajaccio 2-0 at the Stade de la Mosson. The home side went in front in the 28th minute when Arnaud Nordin pounced on a loose ball in the box to score. Soon after Ajaccio were reduced to 10 men, Romain Hamouma being shown a second yellow card when he caught a Montpellier defender in the head when attempting an overhead kick. Remarkably it was Hamouma’s second red card of the season, with both coming in the first half of games. Yet Montpellier goalkeeper Jonas Omlin was also sent off just before half-time, and so it was 10 against 10 by the time Ajaccio’s Kévin Spadanuda had a goal disallowed in stoppage time at the end of the half. Elye Wahi got Montpellier’s second goal 13 minutes from the end.
Nice penalty double sinks Lille
Meanwhile OGC Nice claimed their first league win of the campaign, coming from behind to beat LOSC Lille 2-1 at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy. Jonathan Bamba’s shot deflected in off Jean-Clair Todibo to put Lille ahead in the 19th minute, but the visitors won a penalty straight from the restart as Aaron Ramsey was chopped down by Tiago Djaló. Andy Delort converted from the spot to equalise, and then Nice won another spot-kick when Nicolas Pépé was fouled by Léo Jardim. Pépé converted from the spot against his old club for his first goal since joining Nice on loan from Arsenal (29’), and Lucien Favre’s side then held on.
