Montpellier finally wins, Rennes loses again, Le Havre dives – Ligue 1

The west wing of France had a very dark weekend on this 11th day of Ligue 1. After Nantes defeated Lens on Saturday, Le Havre, Rennes and Brest effectively lost their footing in their respective oppositions. Between insoluble crisis for some and end of dynamic for others. Summary of a prolific Sunday.

In Normandy, we thought Le Havre had left so as not to repeat the mistakes of last season and to ensure rather comfortable support. But all that was in September. Since then, the HAC has only slipped, like its Sunday outing against Reims. Swept home in less than an hour (0-3)the people of Le Havre were only able to watch the Reims celebrations go by, without champagne that said. Oumar Diakité thus unlocked the game (15^e), before the Japanese doublet, Keito Nakamura-Junya Ito, speaks. The first, six minutes after the Ivorian’s achievement (21^e), then the second after the break (57^e). Le Havre is stuck in penultimate place, while Reims clings to the European wagon in style. Two rooms, two extremes.

Rennes is still rowing

Jorge Sampaoli arrived at Roazhon Park at 4:54 p.m. and he did not need more than half an hour to realize the work that awaited him in Brittany, he who must sign his contract at the start of the week. Finally, this is what the Rennes leaders are hoping for after seeing their team suffer a new affront, this time at home, against Toulouse who perfectly knew how to take advantage of Rennes’ funny week (0-2). You would have thought that the Rouge et Noir were going to show something else after the dismissal of Julien Stéphan and with the presence of their very likely future coach, but this team once again looked like nothing other than a sum of average individuals. The sanction could have fallen on the first Toulouse approaches and the third was the right one for Joshua King, finisher on receiving a cross from Zakaria Aboukhlal after a touch cleverly played by Aron Dønnum (14^e). A combination worked on in training, according to the joy of the Violets staff, who immediately turned to the analysts in the bays. A blow on the carafe, then a second for the Rennais, after a gag situation in the area, where a limp recovery from Dønnum ricocheted off Baptiste Santamaria, scorer against the camp and totally stunned (23^e). It was too much for the Breton public, who turned against their players and saw Steve Mandanda, victim of a crutch according to the club, being replaced by Gauthier Gallon after the break. The matter was already over, as the Rennais seemed too messy, too disordered, too far off the mark to hope to get back into the game in a stadium which had become almost silent, barely celebrating a goal from Ludovic Blas logically refused for a position of offside by Jota. The rest was not too exciting, the TFC contented itself with managing to validate its rise to the middle of the table and the SRFC sinking a little further towards the red zone, while the ultras left the enclosure within ten last minutes. The main information: Sampaoli was apparently still present at the final whistle.

Arriving on a commando mission, Jean-Louis Gasset arrived at his home in Montpellier to get his club out of trouble. So in Paillade, there was no need to hang around. Barely time to digest the snack when Arnaud Nordin, with a well-placed penalty (6^e), and Wahbi Khazri, on a misjudged free kick by Marco Bizot (12^e), have in fact put the MHSC in front. Time to panic all the same, when seeing Jonas Martin reduce the score just after returning from the locker room (50^e), that Tanguy Coulibaly scored the goal of the deliverance at the very end of the game (84^e). We cannot say if the Gasset effect is already being felt or if there really is one, but what we can say is that Montpellier is – perhaps still last – but only three points behind the green zone. Would the glimmer of hope go south?

Le Havre 0-3 Reims

Goals: Diakité (15^e), Nakamura (21^e) and This (57^e) for the Rémois