Goal brings you the best performers in France, with Opta crunching the numbers to present the top 10 from the opening weekend
The Ligue 1 season started at the weekend amid a flurry of goals. In total, 33 were scored in a weekend in which the big four of Paris Saint-Germain, Monaco, Lyon and Marseille recorded convincing wins.
Each week, Goal will bring you the best performers in France, with Opta crunching the numbers to present the top 10 players after each matchday, based on their cumulative performance over the course of the campaign.
It is newly promoted Nimes who have the honour of topping the first rankings, with substitute Clement Depres leading the way with a mark of 98.2. Les Crocos were the top scoring side in Ligue 2 last term as they finished as runners-up to Reims, providing a plethora of attacking football that was replicated in their opening day victory over Angers.
Trailing 3-1, Depres came off the bench and dragged his side back into the game with a crisp finish, but their hopes seemed lost when Florian Miguel was dismissed. However, Renaud Ripart struck a leveller, setting the stage for 23-year-old Depres to play a decisive role in the winner.
A spectacular diving header deserved to give his side the victory, yet a deflection off home centre-back Romain Thomas deflected the ball into his own goal, taking the credit off the forward, who managed only three goals throughout last term.
The spectacular opening fixture started with an early goal from winger Sada Thioub, who was the second best performer in the division on the opening day.
Rounding off the top three was Lille forward Nicolas Pepe, who secured a total of 96.6 points.
The former Angers forward, who was linked with a move to the Premier League over the course of the summer, was often used in a central role last term but has been shifted back into his preferred position on the flank.
The 23-year-old thrived, helping Lille turn around a 1-0 deficit and transform it into a 3-1 victory. He even grabbed the winning goal, collecting a pass from Yassine Benzia before smoothly rolling the ball into the corner of the goal. It typified LOSC’s strong opening-day performance.
All of the top 10 players were on the scoresheet, with Lille debutant Jonathan Bamba striking after making a Bosman move from Saint-Etienne. Pepe grabbed the assist.
Memphis Depay, meanwhile, returned in spectacular style, firing a free-kick right into the top corner of the net for Lyon against Amiens, while Rony Lopes was on target as Monaco defeated Nantes 3-1. Emiliano Sala and Radamel Falcao also made the top 10 after coming off the bench to score in that game.
It was a weekend for the substitutes, with several players coming off the bench to make a telling contribution for their side. Timothy Weah (89.0) came of for Neymar and the USA international struck his first Ligue 1 goal.
Angelo Fulgini is the other member of the formative top 10, though his efforts were not enough for Angers to take anything from their spectacular match with Nimes.
| Player | Team | Versus | Position | Score |
| Clement Depres | Nimes | Angers | Forward | 98.2 |
| Sada Thioub | Nimes | Angers | Wide Midfield | 97.6 |
| Nicolas Pepe | Lille | Rennes | Forward | 96.6 |
| Emiliano Sala | Nantes | Monaco | Forward | 95.5 |
| Jonathan Bamba | Lille | Rennes | Wide Midfield | 95.3 |
| Memphis Depay | Lyon | Amiens | Attacking Midfleid | 93.5 |
| Angelo Fulgini | Angers | Nimes | Wide Midfield | 91.8 |
| Radamel Falcao | Monaco | Nantes | Forward | 90.7 |
| Rony Lopes | Monaco | Nantes | Wide Midfield | 89.6 |
| Timothy Weah | PSG | Caen | Forward | 89.0 |
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