The favorites held their rank and ensured the show, Sunday in Ligue 1, with the victories of Marseille, Monaco, Rennes, Lens and Paris Saint-Germain.
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© CHARLY TRIBALLEAU / AFP
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Chis 24ᵉ day of Ligue 1 was marked by a festival of goals, Sunday February 19. The favorites held their rank and ensured the show with the victories of Marseille, Monaco, Rennes, Lens and PSG, overthrowing against Lille (4-3) despite the injury of Neymar, one week from the classic OM-PSG. Also, the classification is frozen at the end of this weekend of matches. Only Stade Rennes (5e) gained a rank in this top 5, to the detriment of Lille (6e).
The podium remains occupied by the Paris-Marseille-Monaco trio, in that order, just ahead of Racing Club de Lens. However, the Parisian leader has long feared losing his five-point lead at the top of the standings… At the Parc des Princes, victory only took shape in the 94e minute, on a free kick from Lionel Messi.
Neymar concern
Previously, supporters had gone through all the emotions. Fear and spite, first, with the worrying injury of Neymar, released on a stretcher and victim of a sprained right ankle, already affected at the World Cup in Qatar. Then the anger at seeing Lille lead 3-2 and show themselves close to inflicting on PSG a fourth defeat in a row in all competitions, a first for more than twenty years for the capital club. But it was ultimately happiness and liberation that dominated the end of the game, marked by Kylian Mbappé’s double and Messi’s final goal.
PSG are afraid of having lost Neymar again at the crucial moment of the Champions League season (the round of 16 return from C1 to Bayern Munich is scheduled for March 8), but they have finally managed to do violence to themselves and regain the faith, with this victory in the form of a click. “It’s not bad luck, there are always reasons: the calendar, the sequence of matches… It complicates things, you have to bend your back, but the bent back with a victory, it’s more pleasant “Reacted coach Christophe Galtier, under pressure for several days.
OM are scared in Toulouse
A week before the classic OM-PSG, on Sunday, the two teams did the job, because Marseille also won, on the lawn of Toulouse, 3-2. Igor Tudor’s players struggled at the Stadium, against a TFC already author of five league victories in 2023. Dutchman Thijs Dallinga opened the scoring (3e) and OM had to wait for the second half to regain their senses.
Chancel Mbemba, Cengiz Under and Nuno Tavares finally scored for the Marseille club, before Ado Onaiwu reduced the score for the Violets. It was not necessary to relax for the partners of Alexis Sanchez, because Monaco and Lens remain threatening in the classification, respectively at two and three lengths.
Lens and Rennes revive
Lens has indeed resumed its march forward after a spectacular match against Nantes (3-1), a victory that is good for Franck Haise’s men after four unsuccessful matches. A little earlier, Monaco had also taken advantage of an affordable poster to sign a fourth success in a row in Ligue 1, in Brest (2-1). Alexandr Golovin and Myron Boadu scored for ASM.
The Brestois, meanwhile, reacted too late by Jérémy Le Douaron and remain very close to the red zone (16es, 20 points). Behind the Finisteriens, Troyes was surprised at the end of the match by Montpellier (1-0) and stagnated at 17e rank. Auxerre, winner of Lyon on Friday (2-1), and Ajaccio, largely beaten in Lorient on Sunday (3-0), both have 18 points to 18e et 19e ranks. And Angers, 20e 10 points from 16eseems ever closer to relegation, after their 2-1 defeat in Strasbourg on Saturday.
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Much higher in the standings, Rennes regained victory after two defeats by winning 2-0 against Clermont thanks to a brace from Arnaud Kalimuendo. The Bretons, 5esare still 6 points behind the top 4.