The positions changed little at the bottom of the table during the 18th day of Ligue 1. If Angers confirms to be in its best form of the season, Reims and Rennes continue to disappoint. Montpellier has given itself a reason to still believe in maintaining.
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A small miracle for Montpellier, the awakening of Moussa Al-Tamari
The Ligue 1 weekend opened with a big surprise early Friday evening. Montpellier, bottom of the table, overthrew AS Monaco (4th), a top-of-the-table team which has been accumulating missteps since mid-December. After Kehrer opened the score for the Monegasques, the Héraultais received a strange welcome in the second half: with the broadcast of techno music at full volume, forcing the referee, Mr. Brisard, to briefly interrupt the match. A hostile banner: “VYou embody the worst version of our club: shame on you. » had been deployed at the start of the meeting. Despite the noxious atmosphere, Moussa Al-Tamari scored his first two goals of the season (55th, 82nd) in the second period and allowed the MHSC to cling to the hope of maintaining.
Dominated by Brest, Rennes sinks into crisis
In Rennes, Jorge Sampaoli's style of play arrived well, with 68% possession of the ball against Brest. On the other hand, we will have to look again for the results, with a new defeat, at home, against a Breton neighbor, Stade Brestois (1-2), Saturday afternoon. However, the Finisterians were far from being complete. Pierre Lees-Melou was back in an already well-stocked infirmary (Amavi, Haidara, Le Cardinal, Locko, Martin). On the Rennais side, many absences were noted (Gronbaek, Kamara, Santamaria, Gallon) but the latter did not suffer from any injury: they were sidelined and placed in a “loft” by the SRFC. The UNFP, the players' union, did not fail to denounce “ illegal practices “. After changing everything from floor to ceiling during the summer transfer window, the Rouge & Noir are still agitated this winter, without finding a remedy for the moment: three Ligue 1 matches in 2025 and three defeats for the Rennais
Status quo between ASSE and Nantes
In 16th place, that of the play-off player, AS Saint-Étienne hosted Nantes, the last non-relegation place. With the two teams tied on points, the Greens could swing to the right side in the event of a victory in the Cauldron. A goal from the inevitable Moses Simon (5 goals, 5 assists) in the first quarter of an hour disrupted Saint-Etienne's plans. Faced with Nantes who gave up the ball (25% possession), ASSE struggled to create clear chances, until Boakye's equalizer (86th minute). With 17 goals scored in 18 days, the Ligeriens are looking for new offensive solutions. This time, Eirik Horneland did not hesitate to start Djyilian N'Guessan (16 years old) on the right wing. Nantes stays above the waterline with a third draw in a row. The two opponents return to Stade Rennais.
Reims slips again, two good news for the HAC
Without a victory since November 10, Reims continues its slide towards the last third of the ranking. Luka Elsner's team still has a margin of four points over its pursuers but missed the opportunity to revive against a team from Le Havre in a very bad way (1-1). Penultimate, the Ciel & Marine are not much further ahead but can still rejoice in two things: the end of a series of six defeats in a row (all competitions combined) and the return from injury after three months of The absence of the captain and boss of the defense, Arouna Sanganté, scorer of Le Havre's equalizing goal, from a corner.
-The pass of three for Angers!
After a very delicate first part of the season, Angers comes back to life in 2025: three matches and three victories for the SCO since the start of the calendar year. This time, it was Auxerre which paid the price for the good form of Alexandre Dujeux's men. The first period quickly turned into a nightmare for AJA with Diomandé's own goal, followed by the red card for Gabriel Osho. Symbol of the Angevin revival, Esteban Lepaul, author of six goals in the club's last five official matches. Not very present in the starting eleven until December, the striker who was still playing in Épinal a year ago is becoming the offensive reference in front of Ibrahima Niane and Bamba Dieng, while Loïs Diony, in conflict with the club , has disappeared from the match sheets since the 2nd day.
11. Auxerre: 22 points (-4)⇓
12. Angers : 22 pts (-6)⇑
13. Reims : 21 pts (-2) ⇓
14. Rennes: 17 pts (-3)⇔
15. Nantes: 17 pts (-7)⇔
16. ASSE : 17 pts (-21)⇔
17. HAC : 13 points (-23)⇔
18. Montpellier : 12 pts (-25)⇔
Photo ©Eddy Lemaistre/Icon Sport
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