Headline: OL Lyonnes Dominates APL While Marseille Secures Key Away Win
French league giants kept things rolling in commanding fashion in Week 8 of the Arkema Première Ligue. Just behind the trio, Marseille confirm underdog status with an important away win in Saint-Malo.
Here’s what went down this weekend in the APL.
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OL Lyonnes Pile on Lens’ Woes
Despite upcoming UWCL commitments in Turin, Jonatan Giráldez opted to field his strongest eleven for OL Lyonnes’ match against Lens. The Sang et Or faced the full brunt of Lyon’s offense, quickly falling behind 4-0 within the first 20 minutes. The scoring included headers from Damaris Egurrola and Melchie Dumornay, along with a third consecutive brace for Marie-Antoinette Katoto in all competitions.
Although Fanny Rossi managed to convert a counter-attack and briefly gave Lens hope, Lily Yohannes restored Lyon’s four-goal advantage with another header before halftime. Ada Hegerberg added to the score with a close-range finish, while Wendie Renard capped the rout with a penalty.
OL Lyonnes maintain control at the top of the league, having scored an impressive 48 goals at an average of six per game. Winless Lens now finds itself at the bottom of the APL table.
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Le Havre Collapse at PSG Campus
Le Havre struggled to withstand PSG’s powerful offense at the PSG Campus. After conceding only one goal in their previous four matches, HAC faltered in the first 30 minutes. Merveille Kanjinga opened the scoring with a header for PSG, followed by Naomie Feller capitalizing on a back pass and Griedge Mbock displaying a skillful touch to extend the lead to three goals by halftime.
Tara Elimbi Gilbert added a fourth goal in the second half, securing a 4-0 victory for PSG. The Parisians remain in second place, three points clear of Paris FC, who have a game in hand. This win sets them up nicely for their upcoming UWCL clash against Bayern on Tuesday.
Aurélie Reynders Makes Her Mark at Paris FC
Paris FC secured a spot on the podium, powered by Aurélie Reynders’ impressive performance against Montpellier. Before the match, she expressed her desire to score goals to the club’s media. Hours later, the 19-year-old Belgian prodigy scored her first goal for Paris FC with a lucky block on a clearance. She also assisted Sheika Scott’s opener and was involved in Hawa Sangaré’s third goal.
Paris FC completed their dominant performance with a penalty conversion by Océane Picard and a fifth goal from Théa Greboval, ending the match at 5-0. Coach Sandrine Soubeyrand’s team stays close behind PSG and will head to Spain confidently for their UWCL fixture against Real Madrid on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Montpellier FC, now owned by Crux, continues to slide towards the relegation zone, extending their winless streak to seven games.
Marseille Strengthen Playoff Bid as Fleury Keep Hopes Alive
Marseille’s persistence paid off as they held onto fourth place, the final playoff position. Striker Mathilde Bourdieu secured a late goal with a powerful strike off a rebound after Megan Rucker had equalized following exceptional team play between Lexi Missimo and Beatriz Fonseca. With this result, Nicolas Chabot’s side keeps their playoff ambitions alive, holding a six-point lead over their closest challengers.
Fleury also claimed a crucial victory against Strasbourg with a score of 2-1. Even though Grace Kazadi responded to Emelyne Laurent’s early solo effort, Lucie Calba’s composed finish following a high press ensured a home victory for the Lionnes. Fleury now has the opportunity to reduce the gap to Marseille to three points with a game in hand against Toulouse on Wednesday.
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Next Weekend’s ‘Classique’ More Balanced Than Ever
Toulouse returned from Nantes with a valuable draw, finishing 1-1. The visitors struck first through Chloé Marty, but Madeline Roth equalized almost immediately, all within the first fifteen minutes. Toulouse now sits two points above the relegation zone.
OL Lyonnes, Paris FC, and PSG all prepare for midweek UWCL matches while Fleury and Toulouse are set to catch up on a postponed fixture. The upcoming Matchday 9 of the Arkema Première Ligue promises an exciting ‘Classique’ showdown between Marseille and PSG.
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