Best of the half-season: Match
As we prepare for the return of Ligue 1 McDonald's this weekend, our team of writers have selected some of their favorites of the season's first half. Hear from Eric, George & Luke as they talk about their best moments before the season resumes, continuing with our picks for the best match of the season.
Eric: Auxerre 3-4 LOSC
Since a 2-0 loss to Strasbourg in early November, Lille have been going through the gears in Ligue 1 McDonald's, having won their last four straight to reinsert themselves into the competition for the top four in style. That run nearly came crashing to a halt in the final matchday of 2025, though, as they first battled back from a losing position before edging an always-dangerous AUxerre in a match that saw both sides finish with nine men, Benjamin André striking a dramatic late winner.
These 10 minutes from Auxerre vs Lille. PURE MADNESS. 🤯 pic.twitter.com/Mn98OmwkCD
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) December 14, 2025
George: Toulouse 3-6 PSG
An early season cracker at the Toulouse Stadium, and one we'll always likely remember for a stunning hat trick from Joao Neves which included not just one but two overhead kicks. Despite resting Marquinhos and Willian Pacho, and leaving Khvicha Kvaratskhelia on the bench, PSG started at full throttle. Neves opened the scoring in the seventh minute with a spectacular overhead kick before Bradley Barcola doubled the lead on the counter. Neves then stunned the Stadium de Toulouse again with a second acrobatic finish, making it 3-0 inside 15 minutes.
Ousmane Dembélé converted a penalty midway through the half, before Charlie Cresswell pulled one back for the hosts from a corner. Toulouse missed a chance to close the gap when Lucas Chevalier saved Frank Magri’s penalty before the break. After halftime, Dembélé added another spot kick before Neves completed his hat trick. Late goals from Yann Gboho and Alexis Vossah proved little consolation as PSG claimed a statement win early on in the season.
Luke: Auxerre 3-4 LOSC
It was one of those games that had absolutely everything and one which wildly swung from one side to another. A red card helped Auxerre back into the game after LOSC had conceded an early lead, but Clément Akpa’s sending off evened things up. Despite that L’AJA took the lead, only for Lille to lodge a late comeback. Four goals in nine crazy minutes at the end of the game settled it in Lille’s favour, but not before a further two red cards brought a close to an enthralling fixture.
