Matchday 11 in the French top-flight kicked off on Friday with Angers' 2-2 draw with St. Etienne, and while this round ended on Sunday with the highly-anticipated Le Classique, another fixture was scheduled to take place on Wednesday.
Actually, it would be more accurate to say "rescheduled" as this midweek Ligue 1 showdown was Nice vs Marseille, the Matchday 3 fixture which was abandoned after fans invaded the pitch.
Wednesday's matchup was the perfect conclusion to Matchday 11, as fans were treated to several interesting weekend games. Defending champions Lille were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw while Nice, who were forced to play twice in the span of four days just like Marseille, pulled off a thrilling 3-2 victory over Lyon.
Then there was Le Classique. PSG visited Jorge Sampaoli's impressive side in the final match of the weekend, with marquee summer signing Lionel Messi making his debut in this always-heated derby. Unfortunately, neither the Argentine nor Kylian Mbappe was able to inspire Les Parisiens to a win as this tie ended 0-0. Here's everything you need to know about the recent round of fixtures in Ligue 1.
Who are the top teams in Ligue 1?
| Pos. | Team | MP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | P | Form | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PSG | 31 | 20 | 10 | 1 | 76 | 29 | +47 | 70 | DWWDW | |
| 2 | Monaco | 31 | 17 | 7 | 7 | 58 | 41 | +17 | 58 | LWWWW | |
| 3 | Brest | 31 | 16 | 8 | 7 | 49 | 33 | +16 | 56 | WLLWW | |
| 4 | Lille | 31 | 15 | 10 | 6 | 45 | 27 | +18 | 55 | WLWWW | |
| 5 | Nice | 31 | 14 | 9 | 8 | 36 | 25 | +11 | 51 | WDWDL | |
| 6 | Lens | 31 | 13 | 7 | 11 | 40 | 34 | +6 | 46 | LWLDL | |
| 7 | Olympique Marseille | 31 | 11 | 11 | 9 | 47 | 38 | +9 | 44 | WDDLL | |
| 8 | Olympique Lyonnais | 31 | 13 | 5 | 13 | 42 | 51 | -9 | 44 | WLWWD | |
| 9 | Rennes | 31 | 11 | 9 | 11 | 48 | 41 | +7 | 42 | LWLLL | |
| 10 | Toulouse | 31 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 38 | 40 | -2 | 40 | WDWDW | |
| 11 | Reims | 31 | 11 | 7 | 13 | 38 | 45 | -7 | 40 | LLLDD | |
| 12 | Montpellier | 31 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 39 | 43 | -4 | 37 | DWDWW | |
| 13 | Strasbourg | 31 | 9 | 9 | 13 | 34 | 44 | -10 | 36 | LLWDW | |
| 14 | Nantes | 31 | 9 | 5 | 17 | 29 | 49 | -20 | 32 | DLWLW | |
| 15 | Le Havre | 31 | 6 | 11 | 14 | 30 | 41 | -11 | 29 | DLLDL | |
| 16 | Metz | 31 | 8 | 5 | 18 | 32 | 51 | -19 | 29 | LWWLL | |
| 17 | Lorient | 31 | 6 | 8 | 17 | 37 | 61 | -24 | 26 | LLLLL | |
| 18 | Clermont | 31 | 5 | 10 | 16 | 25 | 50 | -25 | 25 | WLDDL |
Ligue 1 top 3 scorers
What happened in the rescheduled Derby de la Mediterranée?
Nice vs Marseille, also known as the Derby de la Mediterranée, took place on Wednesday, with this interesting encounter ending in a 1-1 draw. Gouiri broke the deadlock after only six minutes of play, giving the hosts a 1-0 lead only for it to be cancelled in the 42nd minute thanks to Payet's equalizer. Les Phocéens' French ace has been crucial for his side in Ligue 1, contributing to five of the last six goals his side have scored (3 goals, 2 assists). Furthermore, his equalizer against Nice was his seventh against Les Aiglons, making them his favorite opponents in Ligue 1.
Ligue 1 – top headlines from the weekend fixtures, ft. Le Classique
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Jonathan David scored Lille's only goal in the 1-1 draw with Brest on Saturday. That strike saw the Canadian forward take his tally in 2021 to 18 goals, with only Mbappe (20) netting more in this calendar year. Unfortunately, this was the first game in which David scored that the defending Ligue 1 champions failed to win.
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The aforementioned draw has stretched Brest's winless run in Ligue 1 to 15 consecutive games. Not only is this the longest active winless run among the French top-flight teams, it is also the second-longest streak in the club's history.
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PSG's 0-0 draw with Marseille on Sunday means that the wait for Lionel Messi's first Ligue 1 goal continues. With an xG of 1.8, the Argentine attacker is the forward with the highest Expected Goals tally without scoring.
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Another interesting thing about Sunday's goalless draw in Le Classique is the head-to-head record. Both teams remain tied at 39 wins each in this clash, with 19 encounters between Marseille and PSG ending in draws.
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Nice's 3-2 win over Lyon was nothing short of stunning! Despite being 2-0 down up until the 80th minute, Christophe Galtier's side manage to pull off an extraordinary comeback, with late goals from Atal, Delort, and Guessand securing the three points for the home side. As a result, Les Aiglons became the first team in 36 years to win a Ligue 1 game despite being two goals down with only 10 minutes left on the clock, with Marseille last pulling of this feat back in March 1985.
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On the flip side, this was the eighth point Lyon have dropped this season after the 80th minute, which makes for a bad read. This figure is at least double that of any other side.
Top matches to watch in Ligue 1: Oct. 29-31, 2021
PSG vs Lille: The current league leaders take on the defending champions in the first game of Matchday 12. Both sides head into this clash on the back of unwanted draws, with Pochettino's side being held in Le Classique while David and Co. played out a 1-1 stalemate with Brest. Failure to win on Friday will pile the pressure on the PSG head coach, with the Argentine yet to get the best out of his Neymar-Mbappe-Messi trio. Will things finally click for the deadly forwards? Tune in on Friday to find out the answer.
Lyon vs Lens: Lens have been nothing short of spectacular this season, with Sang et Or picking up only two defeats so far this term. As a result, they are no.2 in the standings, with PSG sitting only seven points ahead. Lyon, meanwhile, will be keen on bouncing back from their weekend humiliation at the hands of Nice. Expect this to be an interesting affair!
*Keep track of all the activities in the French top-flight by following our dedicated Ligue 1 competition page.
