By S. Willis
PSG’s 2-1 win over LOSC set an all-time record in Europe’s top five leagues while putting opponents LOSC 11 points adrift; Montpellier stunned OM 3-0 to go second; and Thierry Henry’s Monaco woes continued in Reims.
Are we witnessing one of the great league campaigns unfold? With 12 consecutive wins to the start the season, Paris Saint-Germain are off to the best-ever start in Europe’s top five leagues and – while there are still question marks over how Thomas Tuchel’s side is performing in Europe – they are looking nigh on unstoppable after breaking a tough LOSC side down 2-1 on Friday night despite the continued injury absence of Edinson Cavani.
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“It was necessary to play with a lot of quality, and we did it. Twelve wins is incredible. Tonight we produced a magnificent performance,” said Tuchel, whose side now boast an 11-point lead atop the Ligue 1 Conforama table as well as the competition’s top scorer – Kylian Mbappé (11 goals) – and assist provider – Angel Di Maria (six assists). “I think it was our best game of the season, but it had to be, considering who our opponents were, and it’ll also be necessary on Tuesday. Napoli is a different style and it’ll be a very big challenge, but the team is confident after a good performance.”
Montpellier maul Marseille
Having only just rescued a 2-2 draw at home Napoli on Matchday 3, PSG face a stiff test in Italy on Tuesday, but second-placed Montpellier can enjoy a well-earned night off after stunning Marseille 3-0 at the Stade de la Mosson on Sunday night to go second, top scorer Gaëtan Laborde starring with two goals.
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“I’m very happy to be in second place and to have gone fourth on the attacking table, even though our first half was tough, as we were wasteful. But we showed a lot of quality; we were aggressive and scored some very nice goals,” said boss Michel Der Zakarian after his side bounced back from Coupe de la Ligue elimination with a third consecutive win in an unbeaten run that now stands at 11 league matches. “We have to maintain the spirit we have shown since the beginning of the season, but in football everything is fragile and can disappear quickly. We mustn’t get carried away.”
OL let it slip
With Montpellier locked on 25 points with LOSC but ahead on goal difference, there is a four-point gap between the top three and fourth-placed Lyon, who were disappointed not to warm up for their UEFA Champions League clash at home to Hoffenheim with a win over Bordeaux, big Danish striker Andreas Cornelius dashing hopes late on with his first Ligue 1 strike.
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“This wasn’t a good result and it wasn’t a good performance. There were almost no satisfactions apart from the good comeback of Nabil Fekir,” said a concerned OL boss Bruno Genesio after the 1-1 draw and ahead of the visit of Hoffenheim – a match that could send them top of Group F – on Wednesday night. “It’s difficult to find anything that pleased me and it was certainly our worst game for a long time. We did nothing on the ball and nothing without the ball and it’s miraculous that we managed to escape with a point.”
Seven-goal thriller and a 5-0 hammering
Much happier were OL’s arch-rivals Saint-Etienne, who prevailed in a see-sawing 4-3 thriller at home to Angers, clinching a first win in four to go within a point of their Rhône-valley antagonists. Romain Hamouma’s winner a minute from time was just what Les Verts fans at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard needed as Jean-Louis Gasset’s side maintain their push for a European finish.
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Sainté could well be under a bit of pressure soon, however, with a resurgent FC Nantes scoring the biggest win of the weekend 5-0 at home to bottom side Guingamp, stretching their winning run under new coach Vahid Halilhodzic to four matches in all competitions. Club top scorer Emiliano Sala shot into second place on the Ligue 1 Conforama scoring chart (ten goals) with a double as EAG boss Antoine Kombouaré side failed to bounce back from mid-week Coupe de la Ligue elimination.
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Bottleneck
However, between Les Canaris and Les Verts, there is a trio of teams locked on 17 points: Strasbourg, who could only manage a 1-1 draw with struggling Toulouse; Patrick Vieira’s OGC Nice, who made it back-to-back wins for the second time this season with a 1-0 victory over Amiens; and Stade de Reims, for whom Mathieu Cafaro’s lone strike was enough to pile the worry on winless AS Monaco coach Thierry Henry.
The 1-0 defeat leaves the principality side second from bottom – locked on seven points with EA Guingamp – as they look to peel themselves off the foot of the Group A table in their Matchday 4 UEFA Champions League clash at home to Bruges on Tuesday.
Worthy warm-up
Rennes also have mid-week European duties, away to Dynamo Kyiv on Thursday, and Sabri Lamouchi’s side head into the clash with confidence after claiming a 2-1 win away to Caen with star man Ismaila Sarr bagging the winner to take them 12th.
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Like Nantes, promoted Nîmes Olympique also won big in Week 12, Bernard Blaquart’s men thumping struggling Dijon 4-0 away – with a double from Denis Bouanga – to go 13th and leave their opponents just one point clear of the drop zone.
>> VIDEO: Official match highlights of all the Week 12 action
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