Friendly Roundup: The Weekend in Ligue 1
giroud nets for lille
Lille were in action for the final time before returning to competitive action on Saturday, travelling to face West Ham United at the London Stadium. Olivier Giroud rolled back the years with a stunning acrobatic effort as the game went on to finish 1-1. A penalty shoot-out ensued, which the Premier League side went on to 5-4.
Monaco also fell on the wrong side of some fine margins against Inter Milan. Maghnes Akliouche opened the scoring with a drive from the outside of the box. There was another blow for last season's Champions League finalists before the break as Hakan Calhanoglu was sent off. However, the Serie A giants came roaring back after half-time. Lautaro Martinez equalised before Ange-Yoan Bonny nicked it for Internazionale with a late winner (1-2).
He’s really back 🤩
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang bags a brace for Marseille against Aston Villa 🇬🇦⚽⚽ pic.twitter.com/nDkY6MRgr6— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) August 9, 2025
Marseille, who finished one place above the Principality club last season, prepared for the upcoming Ligue 1 McDonald's season in style. Mason Greenwood opened the scoring in front of a large crowd at the Vélodrome as OM faced Aston Villa. John McGinn quickly levelled the scores, however, on his awaited return to OM, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang netted a quickfire brace to settle the tie (3-1).
Mikautadze scores in Lyon win
OM's fierce rivals, Lyon also ended their pre-season with a win. Paulo Fonseca's side came up against Getafe and prevailed thanks to two spot-kicks. Georges Mikautadze netted the first and Ainsley Maitland-Niles the second in a 2-1 win over La Liga opposition.
OL were one of multiple Ligue 1 McDonald's sides coming up against Spanish opposition over the weekend. Le Havre lost 2-0 against Deportivo de la Coruña in their visit to Galicia, whilst Christophe Pélissier's Auxerre side came unstuck against Levante, losing to the same scoreline.
There was better luck for Toulouse. It hasn't been the easiest pre-season for Le TéFéCé, but they closed it out with a 1-1 draw against Sevilla. It was Santiago Hidalgo, the summer recruit from Argentina, who netted the late equaliser for Carles Martínez Novell's side.
Elsewhere, there was a goalless draw for Strasbourg against German side Mainz. Liam Rosenior's side get their Ligue 1 McDonald's campaign underway in a Derby de l'Est encounter against Metz. Their preparation for that game was far from ideal, as they succumbed to a heavy 8-0 defeat against Hoffenheim.
lens beat leipzig on openda's return
Lens were also in action against Bundesliga opposition. RB Leipzig travelled to the Bollaert in what marked Loïs Openda's return to his former club. However, it was his former side that took the victory (2-1) thanks to second-half goals from Adrien Thomasson and new signing Matthieu Udol. Openda did get a late consolation against his former side, before handing out shirts to fans of his former club.
First game back in Lens ❤️
A special one for Loïs Openda 🇧🇪✨ pic.twitter.com/g6zFDhq7JV— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) August 9, 2025
Paris FC, promoted to Ligue 1 McDonald's for the upcoming season, beat domestic rivals Nantes (3-2). Jean-Philipp Krasso, Alimani Gory, and Ilan Kebbal scored for Les Parisiens, with Mostafa Mohamed and Louis Leroux getting on the scoresheet for Les Canaris.
Paris FC get their campaign underway against Angers, who enjoyed a slender 1-0 win over Lorient. Esteban Lepaul got the only goal of the game in that encounter.
Two Ligue 1 McDonald's sides faced Serie A opposition. Brest were in action against Sassuolo, drawing 1-1 thanks to a goal from Pierre Lees-Melou, whilst Musa Al-Taamari and Djaoui Cissé got on the scoresheet in a 2-2 draw against Genoa. Pre-season over, the countdown to the return of Ligue 1 McDonald's is on.
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