Reims hand AVB losing start

PARIS, Aug 10, (RTRS): Secondhalf goals from Boulaye Dia and Suk Hyun-jun gave Reims a shock 2-0 away win against Olympique Marseille in their opening Ligue 1 match on Saturday, handing coach Andre Villas-Boas a losing start in charge of the hosts.

In a match played in stifling heat at the Velodrome, Dia struck in the 58th minute immediately after Kevin Strootman rattled the crossbar for Marseille and substitute Suk added a second in the final moments of the game.

It was a grim start for a toothless Marseille side, who hired VillasBoas open up the Marseille defence and calmly beat Mandanda with a right-foot shot.

Dia turned provider when he unselfishly laid the ball off to South Korean Suk who comfortably beat Mandanda in the 90th minute.

Olympique Lyonnais brushed aside AS Monaco 3-0 away in the season-opening Ligue 1 match, helped by a red card for Cesc Fabregas after half an hour and a dreadful mistake by goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte on his debut.

Moussa Dembele and Memphis Depay scored first-half goals for Lyon, who were third last season, and Lucas Tousart fired home the third with 10 minutes left to give new manager Sylvinho a winning start in his first senior coaching job.

Monaco continued where they left off last term when they finished 17th in the 20-team table, three points clear of relegation.

Dembele put Lyon ahead in the fifth minute when he rose between two defenders to meet Bertrand Traore’s inviting corner and powered his header into the roof of the net.

It got worse for Monaco with Fabregas’ bizarre dismissal.

The Spaniard chased a long ball into the area, appeared to clip the heels of Leo Dubois and was booked for what seemed an innocuous challenge. However, the referee then consulted the VAR and changed the card to a red.