OL boss Bruno Genesio was beside himself after Moussa Dembélé's last-gasp header swayed the Rhône derby Lyon's way 2-1; opposite number Jean-Louis Gasset looked to stay positive despite bitter disappointment.
Sunday, January 20, 2019
AS Saint-Etienne 1 - 1 Olympique Lyonnais 
Jean-Louis Gasset (AS Saint-Etienne coach): "I knew that this can be a cruel job, but tonight has been a real kick in the teeth. To lose the derby in the final seconds is really tough. We played the match we wanted to play - I promised the fans that we would play with spirit and we gave our all. It was a good match, with great chances and a couple of situations where you wonder how we didn't score. And then the catastrophe with their final ball in front of goal. It's frustrating; we deserved a draw. I'll congratulate my players on Monday - we mixed it with a side built for Champions League football. The season isn't over."
Bruno Genesio (Olympique Lyonnais coach): "I'm very happy, and proud of my players. I said in the pre-match talk that our biggest opponent would be ourselves, and the players really stepped up. When we beat them 5-0 [in Saint-Etienne in Week 12 of the 2017-18 Ligue 1 Conforama season], the final stages of the match were plain sailing. But tonight, it was like 2013, when Jimmy Briand scored in extra time [2-1], or like in 2008, when Karim Benzema equalised with a free-kick [1-1]. It was a kind of exceptional deliverance. Tonight, there was more emotion than when we beat them 5-0."
Stade Rennais FC 0-0 Montpellier Hérault SC 
Julien Stephan (Rennes coach): "I've got mixed feelings. I'm disappointed with the result. The teams were well enough matched but we could've won. We knew we were up against a well-organised team. We're frustrated, but we can be satisfied with the effort we put in. We pressed hard and the players deserved better."
Michel Der Zakarian (Montpellier coach): "This is a good point to pick up against a direct rival for European competition. We created a lot of chances in the first half. Hatem Ben Arfa was dangerous on a couple of occasions. He can make the difference on his own. The draw is logical, though."
Angers SCO 1-0 FC Nantes 
Stéphane Moulin (Angers coach): "We know what it's like to lose a game late on. As for this match, we should be clear: except for starting and finishing well, Nantes dominated us. They had two big chances. It's a credit to my players that they held on. It's rare that a team is physically superior to us, but Nantes were. We didn't concede that many chances despite their dominance. We would have been happy with a point so to win is magnificent. It had been six games since we last won."
Vahid Halilhodzic (Nantes coach): "It's frustrating and we have regrets. The team didn't play badly but we didn't take our chances. Once again, our opponents had one shot, which they scored. To concede a goal like that is almost malpractice. The worst thing about it is that the team otherwise played well."
SM Caen 0-1 Olympique de Marseille 
Fabien Mercadal (Caen coach): "We played a consistent, committed match, which we had planned to, but we were lacking a goal. We could look at our shortcomings or we would also say that it was a few details that decided it for Marseille. We were certainly committed, but we played cleanly."
Rudi Garcia (Marseille coach): "We finally got a result which our performances have deserved. It may not be the best match we've ever played but we had to adapt to a very physical Caen team. We could have managed the game better and gone for a second goal."
Girondins de Bordeaux 1-0 Dijon FCO 
Éric Bedouet (Bordeaux coach): "We need to know how to win ugly. It was tricky. Playing a team with ten men is never easy. We had a bad first half with players playing out of position. The second half was better. We didn't let go but we had to be patient. Dijon are a very well organised team and they were better than us in the first half. They had chances but fortunately Benoît Costil stopped them."
Antoine Kombouaré (Dijon coach): "It's more than disappointment. I hated the goal we conceded and I hate this defeat. The boys played a huge game, but this can happen when you're at the bottom. I put myself in the place of the players today. They're suffering after making such a big effort. At least we learned that we can compete with a team like that, that we could play and be solid defensively. I like how we played but this defeat hurts."
Saturday, January 19, 2019
Paris Saint-Germain 9-0 EA Guingamp 
Thomas Tuchel (PSG coach): "I don't think I've ever seen that before, 9-0 in a league match. We played with a lot of quality and got better as the game went on. We kept it simple and were fast and efficient. It was important to play like that. It was a complete performance. I'm very sad [about Marco Verratti's injury]. We already needed to strengthen in that area but his injury changes everything. I think it's serious. It's difficult. It's possible that he'll be out for a few weeks. We have to wait though. He's in hospital right now and we can't say more for the moment."
Jocelyn Gourvennec (Guingamp coach): "We were beaten in every area of the game. We were drowned. We made beginners' mistakes. It was like seeing a youth team play against a Ligue 1 team. It was too fast for us. Ten days ago, we won 2-1 here [in the Coupe de la Ligue] and I think we deserved to win that game. We knew that we might be punished the second time around. This is a historic victory but it's also a defeat that hurts. The two games were very different. It's costly for our goal-difference. I remember Dijon conceded eight here [PSG beat Dijon 8-0 in January] but then still stayed in Ligue 1. We must remember that. We knew we'd prodded the wasp's nest and they wanted to set things straight."
AS Monaco 1-5 RC Strasbourg Alsace 
Thierry Henry (Monaco coach): "There was a foul on Rony Lopes in the box at 2-1. We're fighting against everything but if we need to fight against that too we might as well stop. It changed the game. We could have come back and put doubt in their minds."
Thierry Laurey (Strasbourg coach): "I'm very proud of my players. When you have this state of mind you're difficult to beat. Some nights everything goes your way and this was one of those nights. I was surprised by Ibrahima Sissoko's strike. Ludovic Ajorque scored and he's not normally in the starting lineup. We can't get carried away though, we gave the ball away too easily. We can improve our performances. I wasn't happy at half-time as we'd let Monaco get back in the game. We recovered in the second half and were able to some good quality goals."
Nîmes Olympique 0-1 Toulouse FC 
Bernard Blaquart (Nîmes coach): "We lacked confidence in the final third. I thought we could've got back on level terms. I have no regrets about playing with a 4-4-2 formation. We had chances to score but we failed to take them. We were not beaten in the middle of the park, but Toulouse were nonetheless effective, so credit to them."
Alain Casanova (Toulouse coach): "Wbe played a smart game tonight. We were solid and conceded few chances. We defending the wings flanks well and we were strong defending crosses and set pieces. We didn't create that much going forward but we also took our chances. We showed humility and determination against a good Nîmes side who will undoubtedly stay in this division."
Stade de Reims 1-1 OGC Nice 
David Guion (Reims coach): "It's very frustrating because Nice equalised in injury time and we really wanted to reach the 30-point mark. I really liked how we played, especially in the first half. We could have scored a second and put the game to bed. We started well in the second half but then sat too deep. Nice were only dangerous on set pieces. We can be disappointed, but also proud of how the players played."
Patrick Vieira (Nice coach): "We deserved this point, it didn't fall from the sky. We played an average match so I'm happy with the point. Tactically, I perhaps played the team into trouble. It was our third match in a week and we struggled physically. I didn't help the boys with the system I chose. They wanted it more than us and can be disappointed. We didn't create enough chances in attack. We need to strengthen in this area but we have to make do with what we have."
Friday, January 18, 2019
LOSC Lille 2-1 Amiens SC 
Christophe Galtier (Lille coach): "We can't say [Nicolas Pepe] had his best match nor that it was his worst. He put in an average performance. In the first game between the two sides this season, he played really well despite being a doubt before kick-off. This morning, he was a big doubt again. He didn't train on Wednesday, yesterday was so-and-so, and he had pain this morning. He insisted on playing. It wasn't his best day, but Nicolas not on his best day is still a threat. It was tough, we had to dig deep, we had to go out and look for the win. That meant working carefully on our transitions and crosses. It's already an improvement because we won."
Christophe Pélissier (Amiens coach): "The goal that really hurt us was the one just before half-time that levelled the scores. Our first half was right along the lines that we had wanted. In the second half, we struggled technically and physically, we sat back. There are big regrets, because against teams like that, you have to have concentration and discipline for 95 minutes. We lacked that at the end of each half."
