Gourcuff under pressure, Laurey a little less
Did Christian Gourcuff live his last match on the Nantes bench on Sunday? While Waldemar Kita would have issued an ultimatum to his coach, summoned to take six points against Strasbourg and Dijon, the Canaries (14th) still failed against Racing (0-4), yet himself in full doubt in the bottom of the ranking.
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This match was also crucial for Thierry Laurey, to whom a tenth defeat could have been fatal. However, the daring choices of the Alsatian technician paid off: with a very offensive starting lineup, the visitors shook the nets four times, including two on penalties (Liénard in the 16th, 1-0; Ajorque in the 78th, 3-0 ), a sign of Nantes feverishness. Diallo had doubled the bet in the 34th, taking advantage of a hand fault from Lafont. Zohi hit the nail on the head in the 78th. Racing, which had only taken one point in the last four days, is no longer relegable (17th).
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Angers sinks in Lorient but worries about Boufal
Christophe Pelissier may try everything, Lorient definitely can’t do it anymore: unable to score a single goal since their victory in Reims (3-1) on October 17, the Hakes have not found an answer to their ills on the lawn d’Angers (0-2), conceding a fourth defeat in five Ligue 1 matches (for 1 draw).
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Quickly led to the score after Fulgini caught Laporte in the area (10th, 0-1), the Lorientais have several times gone close to KO. (19th, 32nd, 52nd) before finally reacting by Hamel, disgusted by Bernardoni (62nd, 63rd). They could also (should?) Have received a penalty for a hand from Diony (90th + 1). But after consulting the VAR control screen, the referee decided otherwise, and it was ultimately Capelle who widened the gap after additional time, served by Cabot (90th + 7, 2-0) .
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Angers, who could have made the match easy earlier by showing more skill in front of goal, is in the race for Europe (7th only 6 points behind the Parisian leader). But he is worried about Sofiane Boufal, released on a stretcher at the start of the second period.
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Ben Arfa saves Bordeaux
After two convincing trips to Rennes (1-0) and Paris (2-2) – which made Jean-Louis Gasset say that a team was “Being born” in Bordeaux -, the Girondins confirmed their return to form against one of the most attractive formations of the moment in Ligue 1, Brest (1-0).
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However, it was not until the 84th minute and a personal feat of Hatem Ben Arfa to see the locals win a match they largely dominated (21 shots to 8). Because if they were unlucky (3 posts), they also harvested a lot in front of goal, like Hwang (48th, 58th). However, we will remember that the match could have turned the other way in the 52nd minute, when Lasne, trained in Bordeaux, threw himself in to beat Costil in the box. The Brest midfielder was offside by a few centimeters and was logically denied his goal.
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Saint-Etienne in slow motion
At least, the Greens do not lose any more … After 7 defeats in a row in Ligue 1, Claude Puel’s men took a second point in two matches on Sunday, on the field of the Dijon red lantern (0-0). Like the Girondins, they touched wood, in this case by Bouanga (68th). But Racioppi, impeccable in the Burgundy goal, did not have much to do in a match rich in centers (34, including 25 for the Greens) but poor in clear chances (3 shots on target in total). This draw does nobody’s business, but nothing is lost for the DFCO of Linarès (20th, 8 points), which is only 4 lengths behind its opponent for maintenance (15th, 12 points).
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