What a brutal end to the match for Monaco. They were hoping to climb right up to the top of the French football league table today. Instead, a last-gasp goal on their visit to Lille handed them a tough 1-0 defeat. This loss pushed them further away from the league’s early leaders. Those teams are Lyon, coached by Paulo Fonseca, along with Toulouse, Paris Saint-Germain, and Strasbourg.
The clock had ticked past 90 minutes when Olivier Giroud, at 90+1, became the hero for Lille. His late strike settled the score in the closing game of the second round. Lille, often called the ‘Mastiffs’, had Félix Correia on the field until the 81st minute. However, they were missing Tiago Santos and André Gomes due to injuries. Rafael Fernandes also sat out, a coach’s call.
Giroud, back in the French League after 13 years since winning a title with Montpellier, almost wrote an even bigger headline. He had a chance to take the lead in the top scorer race. But at 90+9 minutes, he sent a penalty kick sailing over the bar. He still has two goals to his name. His first goal came in Lille’s 3-3 draw against Brest in the first round.
This victory marked Lille’s first win of the season. They jumped to fourth place in the standings with four points. Monaco now sits in eighth place with three points. They are currently tied with seven other teams. The league table is certainly getting interesting early on.
After just two rounds, only four clubs have managed a perfect six points from six possible. These teams include Lyon, Toulouse, Paris Saint-Germain (the four-time French champion and European champion), and Strasbourg. Each of them secured victories in their home games. Lyon defeated Metz 3-0. Toulouse topped Brest with a 2-0 score. PSG edged out Angers 1-0. Strasbourg also won 1-0 against Nantes, a team led by coach Luís Castro.