Ligue 2 Review #11: Lorient close gap on leaders, Red Star surprise Metz
Match Reports
Lorient 4-2 Dunkerque: Les Merlus win thriller to close in on Paris FC
Lorient manager Olivier Pantaloni was so disappointed with last week's away draw to 3-3 that he mistakenly branded it a 'defeat' in his pre-match interview. But there was no time for dwelling as Les Merlus ran out big winners in a six-goal thriller to reduce the gap to Ligue 2 leaders Paris FC to only two points.
The visitors opened the scoring early on thanks to Maxence Rivera (7'), before Joel Mvuka equalised for Lorient just before the half-hour mark (28'). Rivera grabbed his brace just before half-time (44') before Mohamed Bamba squandered his chance from the penalty spot just following the break for Lorient. The Breton side got level through Sambou Soumano, who received a superb pass from Laurent Abergel and finished past Adrian Ortola (55').
The hosts then went ahead, as Igor Silva's cross found the head of Aiyegun Tosin who finished emphatically past Ortola (83'). If that wasn't enough, Soumano quickly grabbed his second of the game to give Lorient a two-goal cushion (85'), before a red card for Yirigue Sekong effectively killed off any chance of a comeback for the Dunkerque Seasiders.
Red Star 1-0 Metz: Oukidja howler helps Red Star end winless run
It was a tale of two goalkeepers as Red Star finally got back to winning ways with a surprising victory over FC Metz at Stade Bauer. Les Grenats dominated the ball in both halves, but lacked the precision and the finishing touch to make their chances count by the half-time whistle. Les Audoniens went ahead after Metz keeper Alexandre Oukidja fumbled Fodé Doucouré's low cross into the back of the net (47').
Buoyed by the lead, L'Étoile Rouge managed to see out the rest of the second half, but had to call on a magnificent save from goalkeeper Quentin Beunardeau late on to secure all three points. Grégory Poirier's side have ended a winning drought that has run since the 30th August, posing a bump in the road to Metz's promotion ambitions.
The Relegation dogfight: Caen & Troyes also pick up vital wins
Caen grabbed a vital win away at bottom side Martigues, with Alexandre Mendy opening the scoring with a penalty (69') before adding his second in added time (90+1'). Noah Lebreton found the killer third goal only minutes later (90+5') to secure a first win in four games for the Normand side.
Troyes finally look like they are finding their groove under Stéphane Dumont with their second consecutive win in a matter of days. Youssouf M'changama opened the scoring in the second half (54'), before Cryiaque Irie doubled ESTAC's lead (67').
Moment of the week: Communion at Stade Bauer
The transition to Ligue 2 football has been a tough one for Red Star FC and their supporters. Following their win against former Ligue 1 side FC Metz, Grégory Poirier's players could enjoy the moment in front of Stade Bauer's Kop: Tribune Rino Della Negra.
Elsewhere in Ligue 2:
- Amiens managed to hold leaders Paris FC at Stade de la Licorne in a goalless draw. The league leaders dropped points for the first time in six matches.
- Midtable battlers Bastia and Rodez played out a 2-2 draw in Corsica, only days after RAF clinched a last minute draw against Lorient thanks to a goal from their keeper Lionel Mpasi. This time it was only outfield players scoring, with Lamine Cissé, Waniss Taïbi, Timothé Nkada, and Clément Rodrigues all getting on the scoresheet.
- After saying farewell to manager Stéphan Bichard, Clermont got back to winning ways against Laval with a 2-1 win in Mayenne thanks to goals from veteran Johann Gastien and Maïdine Douane.
READ MORE:
>>Ligue 2 Review #10: Goalkeeper-scoring heroics at Rodez, PFC retain lead at the top
