Lyon’s dazzling comeback shows value of league

One of the biggest pieces of news in this first weekend after the closure of the transfer window was Kylian Mbappé’s impressive double, his first goals in La Liga, helping Real Madrid to a 2-0 victory over Real Betis. But while its most readily marketable asset may have departed this summer, that doesn’t seem to have taken any of the shine off Ligue 1’s ability to produce compelling, attacking football.
On matchday three, across its nine games, the French top flight saw 37 goals scored, and only one team fail to find the net. Three teams (Brest, Lyon and Nice) scored four times in a set of results that featured only one draw all weekend. And while the (still very inevitable-looking) Paris Saint-Germain top the table with the division’s only perfect record, four other teams have taken seven points from their first three matches, setting up what looks to be a bumper battle for the European spots, despite a slight reticence to spend for many clubs and a raft of coaching changes as well.
Things kicked off in fine fashion in Lyon on Friday evening as Les Gones picked up their first win of the season with a raucous victory over Strasbourg. The visitors, with the former Hull manager Liam Rosenior having taken charge in the summer, had picked up a canny draw to start the season in Montpellier before demolishing Rennes in their first home match.
Like Lyon, the story of the back half of last season after their remarkable renaissance under Pierre Sage, Strasbourg were busy in the summer window. They brought back Andrey Santos on loan for another season and splashed large fees – by Ligue 1 standards – on players including Sebastian Nanasi, a promising young Sweden international, and the former Bordeaux striker Sékou Mara.
Two of those players were on the scoresheet, Nanasi netting with just two minutes on the clock and Santos scoring early in the second half as Strasbourg built a 3-1 lead. The hosts had largely dominated play, but a combination of some poor finishing by Georges Mikautadze and spectacular goalkeeping from Karl-Johan Johnsson (who had eight saves on the night) kept Les Gones from getting to grips with the match.
After Emanuel Emegha also scored, Sage, desperate not to lose a third straight match, rolled the dice and brought on Gift Orban and Malick Fofana. The two youngsters, both signed last season from Belgium, proved decisive, with Orban scoring twice and Fofana pinning back Dilane Bakwa on the right. With Ainsley Maitland-Niles also on the scoresheet, Lyon ran out 4-3 winners, Sage’s bold decision to take off Mikautadze paying off in spades. A thrilling match from start to finish, it was the most lively of the weekend, but augured well for the eight matches to come.
Saturday’s three matches all also saw their respective winners score at least three times, led by Stade Brestois. After losing a raft of key players this summer, including defender Lilian Brassier and forwards Martín Satriano and Steve Mounié, the team had started a campaign that will see them play in the Champions League this month in shocking fashion, conceding seven goals and scoring just once in their first two matches as they lost to Marseille and Lens.
Granted, those two sides have looked sharp in this new season, and a loss to either in isolation is hardly cause for alarm, but for a side which had a balanced approach to attack and defence last year, these results hardly boded well for a club making its debut in Europe. Despite the quality of the opposition, Brest’s win on Saturday offered a welcome riposte to those who may have worried about their prospects, as they smashed promoted Saint-Étienne 4-0.
Later in the day, Marseille were still in top gear with Mason Greenwood scoring a double as part of a 3-1 win in Toulouse; only Erling Haaland has more in Europe’s top five leagues. With Les Violets down to 10 men, the result wasn’t wholly unexpected, but the same scoreline – a 3-1 win for Nantes over Montpellier at their home fortress, the Mosso – perhaps was.
We wrote last season about the team showing green shoots under Antoine Kombouaré, and that seems to have continued apace, as record signing Matthis Abline scored for the first time this season and Alban Lafont picked up another clean sheet. Nantes have the joint-best defence in the division, but they have been positive as well, with summer signings Tino Kadewere (two assists) and Sorba Thomas also slotting in comfortably. Les Canaris will face stiffer tests in the weeks to come, but with two wins and a draw from their three matches, they offer further proof that positivity is set to pay dividends in France this season.
On Sunday, even Le Havre and Nice, two sides who were – to be charitable – rather limited last season got in on the act. Both are also under new management, the former with Didier Digard and the latter with Franck Haise, and have also showed a more cogent approach; Les Aiglons scored four times and Le Club Doyen thrice.
Of course, PSG added to the weekend’s tally with three goals of their own, including a fourth of the season already for Bradley Barcola. But even setting the capital side on their own, Ligue 1 looks well on its way to being as exciting as any other division in Europe thanks to a renewed commitment to positive football.