Monaco held; Caen surprise Saint-Etienne
PARIS: Monaco were held to a goalless draw by in-form Nantes yesterday as Caen moved provisionally into third place in Ligue 1 with a surprise 2-1 win at Saint-Etienne. Monaco are eight points clear in second after their draw at the Stade de la Beaujoire but their result leaves open the possibility that runaway leaders Paris Saint-Germain could clinch an inevitable fourth successive title as early as next weekend.
For that to happen, Laurent Blanc’s side, who are currently 23 points clear, must win away at Lyon and then hope Monaco slip up at Caen next Friday. PSG, who are unbeaten domestically since March last year, would then go into their home clash with Montpellier next Saturday knowing victory would suffice for them to be confirmed champions with two months of the season remaining. While Monaco look set to finish as runners-up, nobody seems to want the third place that also brings with it a place in the qualifying rounds for next season’s Champions League.
Nantes are one of the many sides in contention, though, after extending their long unbeaten run to 13 league games and 16 matches in all competitions. That has lifted Michel Der Zakarian’s team provisionally up to seventh place, just two points adrift of the podium. Nantes had the best chances in a lively start to the game, but Kolbeinn Sigthorsson, on two occasions, and Emiliano Sala were unable to find a way past Danijel Subasic in the visitors’ goal.
Guido Carrillo came close for Monaco early in the second half while Alejandro Bedoya did have the ball in the net for Nantes in the 71st minute, only to be denied by the offside flag. SaintEtienne could have gone third but instead Caen did just that by winning at the Stade GeoffroyGuichard against opponents still reeling from their Europa League exit to Basel during the week. Caen went in front with just 12 minutes left when Andy Delort headed in Herve Bazile’s cross for his 10th league goal of the campaign, and Ronny Rodelin doubled their lead soon after. Valentin Eysseric pulled one back for SaintEtienne from a stoppage-time free-kick but they must now rouse themselves for a French Cup quarter-final against PSG in midweek.
Caen’s hold on third may not last long, though, as Lyon will leapfrog the Normandy side on goal difference if they can beat Paris. Elsewhere yesterday, Marseille’s match away to Gazelec Ajaccio was postponed due to the inclement weather in Corsica. Nice had started the weekend in third place but their Champions League hopes were hit when they lost 2-0 at home to bitter rivals Bastia on Friday. On Saturday, Rennes scored two late goals as they came from behind to win 2-1 at struggling Toulouse, who later parted company with coach Dominique Arribage after a defeat which left them second from bottom and 10 points from safety.