Lyon, despite a red card, managed to secure a 2-1 victory against Nice on Sunday, taking the lead in Ligue 1 following Monaco’s first defeat of the season. Five teams are tied at 14 points at the top of the standings, with Lyon leading due to a superior goal difference over Paris Saint-Germain, Paris FC, Lille, and Monaco.
Match Overview
The match proved challenging for Lyon, who played in front of Paul Seixas, a young local cycling talent, after Keito Nakamura was sent off with twenty minutes remaining. Elye Wahi, the Ivorian forward, opened the scoring for Nice in the 18th minute, marking his second goal of the season. However, a potential equalizer in stoppage time was ruled out for a highly disputed offside.
Before halftime, two goals in three minutes completely turned the match around. Pavel Sulc equalized by capitalizing on a rebound, followed by a header from Tanner Tessmann that gave Lyon the lead.
Second Half Action
Belgian midfielder Axel Witsel hit the crossbar early in the second half. Shortly after, Wahi struck the post with a header, adding to Nice’s frustration following Nakamura’s expulsion for a dangerous kick.
A penalty converted by Noah Cadiou in the second half allowed Lorient to keep Monaco at bay. The Monégasques suffered a 1-0 defeat in Brittany on Sunday, marking their first loss in the league this season.
Finnish goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky dove the right way, but Cadiou placed his shot in the corner, handing Monaco an unexpected defeat. Monaco is among the five teams tied on points at the top, alongside Paris FC, who defeated Rennes 4-3 thanks to a penalty from Lassine Sinayoko in stoppage time. Despite the loss, Rennes remains fifth, just one point behind, despite Estéban Lepaul’s hat-trick of penalties in Paris.
Other Matches
Marseille also secured a valuable victory, winning 5-2 against Angers, distancing themselves from the relegation zone. Le Havre remains at the bottom of the table, while Cameroonian forward Danny Namaso scored twice to help Auxerre defeat their opponent 3-1 in Normandy.
Kylian Mbappé scored two goals as Real Madrid closed the gap with La Liga leaders Barcelona to six points after a 4-1 home victory against Sevilla, just a week before the much-anticipated clásico.
Arda Guler opened the scoring in the 30th minute with a shot into the top corner from outside the box. Mbappé doubled the lead seven minutes later with a spectacular turn. He then won and converted a penalty in the 63rd minute, sealing the match’s outcome.
Sevilla reduced the deficit ten minutes from the end with a goal from Manu Bueno, but Yan Diomandé restored the three-goal advantage just two minutes later with a powerful strike.
Ante Budimir’s early penalty and a late goal from Asier Osambela secured a 2-0 victory for Osasuna against Racing Santander. Celta Vigo also won 2-1 at home against Alavés.
Ibrahim Maza and Patrik Schick combined for two goals as Bayer Leverkusen came from behind to beat Freiburg 2-1 in the Bundesliga on Sunday.
After a surprising defeat to Elversberg in their first match of the season, Leverkusen has now collected 13 points from 18 possible and sits fourth, level on points with Freiburg, who will host Bayern Munich next weekend.
Borussia Mönchengladbach, still searching for their first point of the season, lost 2-1 at home to Hoffenheim, who are also struggling.
Bambasé Conté opened the scoring for Hoffenheim with his second goal in two matches since his surprise selection for the German national team in October. Wael Mohya equalized for the hosts shortly after halftime, but Alexander Prass restored Hoffenheim’s lead soon after, allowing the visitors to celebrate their second victory of the season before facing Lyon in the Europa League on Thursday.
The Danish duo from Lazio was decisive in Turin, with Oliver Provstgaard and Gustav Isaksen scoring in a 3-0 victory against Juventus on Sunday, allowing their team to join Inter at the top of Serie A.
Provstgaard opened the scoring in the 37th minute with a header from a cross by Mattia Zaccagni after Lazio worked a short corner on the left.
Isaksen doubled the lead in the 66th minute, receiving a pass from Nuno Tavares on the right before placing a low shot into the net.
Fisayo Dele-Bashiru completed the score in the 89th minute, launching a counter-attack from his own half to score with a low finish, as Juventus supporters expressed their frustration until the final whistle.
Como, managed by Cesc Fàbregas, ended their three-match winless streak in Serie A on Sunday with a 3-1 victory against bottom-placed Fiorentina.
First-half goals from Mattia Liberali and Nico Paz allowed the visitors to take control, before Marin Pongracic reduced the deficit just before halftime. Anastasios Douvikas scored early in the second half, nullifying any hope of a Fiorentina comeback, who remain stuck in the relegation zone with only four points.
Milan edged past Como into fourth place by surviving a comeback from Atalanta to win 3-2. Gonçalo Ramos, Adrien Rabiot, and Mario Gila scored for Milan, who took a 3-0 lead after 58 minutes, while Atalanta responded with goals from Gianluca Gaetano and Nikola Krstovic.
Earlier in the day, Lecce secured a 3-0 victory at Udinese, with goals from Kialonda Gaspar, Konan N’Dri, and Jamil Siebert.