Matchday 15: LIVEBLOG

By: Sam | November 24th, 2007

22:00 – There it is. Final scores are as follows:

CAEN 5-0 BORDEAUX
LENS 1-1 LORIENT
MARSEILLE 3-1 METZ
NANCY 2-0 LILLE
SAINT-ÉTIENNE 1-0 SOCHAUX
STRASBOURG 0-0 VALENCIENNES
TOULOUSE 0-0 MONACO
RENNES 0-2 LYON (Earlier)

21:56 – Marseille almost had one last hurrah: Ayew and Cissé came close, but it seems we’re done for the night.

21:54 – Things are slowing down here. Half the matches are done.

21:52 – We’re in injury time for the most part.

21:50 – MARSEILLE 3-1 METZ (87′) There’s a slim consolation for the visitors. Bonnart loses out and Gueye does the rest, taking Givet out of the equation and beating Mandanda.

21:49 – CAEN 5-0 BORDEAUX (86′) This is nuts! Gomis has the fifth for Caen, and who’s at fault? Ulrich bloody Ramé. He’s in no man’s land.

21:48 – Strasbourg and Valenciennes are waking up with ten minutes left, but Cassard and Penneteau are still stronger.

21:46 – Toulouse and Monaco are still fighting, but no goals. Pino and Bergougnoux each could’ve scored.

21:45 – CAEN 4-0 BORDEAUX (83′) Can you believe it! Caen’s fourth, it’s the Argentinian Eluchans who has it! A long ball found his head, and Ramé got a touch to it. Not enough.

21:42 – SAINT-ÉTIENNE 1-0 SOCHAUX (82′) Ilan delivers! A tad flukey, as a clearance hits the Brazilian’s leg and goes straight in. That’s tough for Sochaux.

21:41 – NANCY 2-0 LILLE (77′) Goodnight, Dogues. Dia does the work and picks out Brison, who has little to do but slide it in.

21:40 – Cassard does extremely well to keep Valenciennes off the scoresheet. He turns away Savidan, who’s been invisible insofar.

21:38 – MARSEILLE 3-0 METZ (70′) And it’s Niang again, and it’s Nasri who supplies again. Great vision from the young ‘un, who finds Niang, and you know the rest.

21:37 – CAEN 3-0 BORDEAUX (75′) Bordeaux is fucked. Planus takes down Gouffran in the area, red card, penalty. Grandin takes it, and he scores.

21:36 – Well, shucks. Dumont could’ve levelled for Lille, but didn’t make the most of his spontaneous effort, it’s well over.

21:34 – Saint-Étienne just can’t buy a break. They’re dominating Sochaux as well as anyone can, but the finish isn’t there.

21:32 – With a stranglehold on the result, Marseille allows Zenden to come off and has the young André Ayew come on.

21:31 – NANCY 1-0 LILLE (67′) Puygrenier breaks the lock and beats Sylva on a good header that the keeper had no chance on! Game on!

21:30 – Gouffran comes close to scoring his second and Caen’s third, but his strike goes just wide of Ramé’s goal.

21:28 – Ouch, bad tackle by Belson on M’Bami. Two feet off the ground, that could have been a straight red but it’s just a booking.

21:27 – Lots of stuff going down. Pieroni (Lens) booked for unsporting conduct. Metz have used up all their subs, and there’s still half an hour to go there. Richert stands tall against Saint-Étienne and makes a good save.

21:24 – My Internet just shit on me. Hold on a few minutes.

21:23 – Strasbourg can’t find a way past Penneteau, who concedes yet another corner. He’s really keeping Valenciennes in the game.

21:21 – Laurent Battles (remember him?) comes in for Paulo Cesar in Toulouse. That game seems pretty interesting.

21:20 – Metz comes close again. Pjanic, who’s been good so far, takes a free-kick that goes just wide of Mandanda’s cage.

21:19 – Two quick subs for Nancy: Curbelo and Dia are in for Hadji and Malonga, respectively.

21:18 – Lens are flying at home against Lorient, but can’t get anything past the Lorient backline. Audard also makes a good save on Dindane. Vahirua out, Bourhani in for Lorient.

21:17 – Gameiro out and Abdessadki in for Strasbourg. Mouloungui gets a decent chance on net right after.

21:15 – As it stands right now, Nancy have four points more than Bordeaux, with 29, but are still five behind first-place Lyon.

21:13 – Sochaux’s Sène lets fly but Janot is equal. Bafé Gomis has replaced Gigliotti for Saint-Étienne.

21:12 – What did I tell you? Monaco go all in, Piquionne has his shirt tugged by Cetto but no whistle! ASM have every right to be exasperated.

21:11 – Monaco is monopolizing play in Toulouse in the start of the second half. But of course, this isn’t translating into goals.

21:08 – We’re back in business. Chamakh has replaced Bellion for Bordeaux. A defending-happy switch, no doubt.

20:58 – Man, this is a lot of fun. I’ll be back in a few minutes.

20:57 – Here are the scores at the break:
Caen 2-0 Bordeaux; Lens 1-1 Lorient; Marseille 2-0 Metz; Nancy 0-0 Lille; Saint-Étienne 0-0 Sochaux; Strasbourg 0-0 Valenciennes; Toulouse 0-0 Monaco.

20:54 – There’s lots of activity in these seven matches, but not many goals. Six have been scored so far, in three different matches.

20:52 – There’s a little lull in the general play now… It’s half-time for most of the matches now.

20:48 – Sochaux and Saint-Étienne are battling it out like they should in Le Chaudron, but no score.

20:47 – Nearing half-time, Debuchy gets booked for Lille.

20:46 – Sebo hits the crossbar for Valenciennes! What a goal that would have been, but his volley was an inch too high.

20:46 – Harsh foul by Gueye on Valbuena in Marseille. The offender is booked. Valbuena appears to be okay.

20:45 – Great, great save from Runje for Lens. Saifi gets a solid header off, but the Croatian goalkeeper makes a great reflex save.

20:43 – MARSEILLE 2-0 METZ (36′) And it’s two thanks to Mamadou Niang! On a good ball from Nasri, Niang does what he does best and slots it in the corner.

20:42 – Things have gone from bad to worse for Bordeaux. After conceding two bad goals, Matthieu Chalmé has picked up his second yellow card. Too bad, because the foul was less than blatant. Bordeaux will be a man short for more than half the match.

20:41 – Flavio Roma makes his first save of the match, a cool-handed stop against Mauro Cetto.

20:40 – Marseille can thank Gaël Givet for keeping the score as it is. Agouazzi burst through and struck, but the French international was there on the line.

20:38 – Penneteau comes up big for Valenciennes, making two consecutive saves on Mulenga.

20:37 – André Luiz is booked for a charge on Fauvergue. He’s still down, but he should be fine.

20:35 – CAEN 2-0 BORDEAUX (28′) Sorbon makes it two for Caen at d’Ornano! Once again it’s thanks to Bordeaux’s apparent incompetence. Ramé makes an ill-advised challenge and the net is empty. But there’s some bad news as well. Mazure is hurt, he’s subbed off for Grandin.

20:34 – MARSEILLE 1-0 METZ (29′) Zenden strikes an absolute screamer past Marichez from thirty yards out! He can also thank Metz for their slack marking, but still, bravo.

20:33 – Ooooh, Sylva wanders out of his area to meet Kim, and according to the ref, got the ball clean. Kim’s swan dive does nothing to change anyone’s mind.

20:32 – Strasser is pissing Marseille right off. That’s a handful of attacks he’s stopped by himself for Metz.

20:31 – Douchez makes a good save on Pino, keeping Toulouse and Monaco at nil-nil.

20:30 – Afolabi earns the second booking of the night for Sochaux, after pushing Gigliotti on a quick Verts counter. They’re under siege in Le Chaudron.

20:29 – It’s going to and fro in Caen, with Planté making a good save on Wendel and Mazure coming close for Caen not long after.

20:28 – Delhommeau (Metz) is in the referee’s book after a foul on Nasri. Nothing ensues.

20:26 – Two good strikes in quick succession for Nancy, but Lille’s keeper Tony Sylva does very well to keep them both out. No score in this match just yet.

20:24 – LENS 1-1 LORIENT (18′) Pieroni has equalized for the home side! Vahirua loses out, Lacour spies the Belgian, and Luigi smartly chips Audard. The joint is jumping!

20:23 – Gigliotti tries a cheeky lob for Saint-Étienne, but couldn’t get the ball on net.

20:21 – Chalmé commits quite a foul on Florentin. First booking of the match for Bordeaux. They’re not in this match quite yet.

20:20 – Nothing to report in Toulouse. Fifteen minutes gone and nary a shot on goal… Otherwise, Tafforeau has been evacuated on a stretcher. His night is done. Lebbi is on in his stead.

20:19 – Booking for Dabo (Sochaux). It’s a handball, he was the last defender. Could have been worse…

20:18 – Marseille just missed the opener. On a corner kick, Niang was this close, but Strasser got the better of him.

20:17 – LENS 0-1 LORIENT (12′) Goal for Lorient and it’s none other than Vahirua! He smacks it home after a good ball from Ewolo.

20:15 – CAEN 1 – 0 BORDEAUX (9′) Goal for Caen! It’s Gouffran! It’s easy for him thanks to a miscommunication among Bordeaux’s backline. There’s the first one!

20:13 – Tafforeau is down in Nancy. This looks like bad news for Lille.

20:12 – It’s a back and forth affair between OM and Metz. Free-kicks, counters, you name it. But still no score.

20:10 – Debuchy hits the post for Lille! Bad luck for the midfielder who let fly a strike with his left after picking up an errant ball in the outskirts of the area.

20:09 – Payet gets off a good shot for Saint-Étienne, but Richert is equal to the task and keeps the score at 0-0.

20:06 – Lens gets their first chance. Just wide from Laurenti.

20:04 – And finally the ball is rolling in Strasbourg, Saint-Étienne and Caen. It’s on!

20:03 – As well as in Nancy, Marseille and Lens.

20:02 – We’re underway in Toulouse.

It’s noon! (For me, anyway) Matches should start within the next few minutes. The time I’ll be running on is France time.

-5 minutes: As you may expect, this is the first time I simultaneously comment seven matches. Forgive me if it’s a bit mixed-up.

-7 minutes: Fact: Bordeaux has never won in Caen. Over their history, they’ve suffered six losses and two draws in Normandy. I daresay that could change today.

-9 minutes: Also note Djibril Cissé’s spot on the bench. Eric Gerets defended his honour many times during the break, but apparently he still needs time to get his confidence back. Expect him on early in the second half.

- 10 minutes: Note the insanely attacking eleven Nancy are fielding against Lille. Even if they lose, they should remain in second. They’re three points clear of third place, with a six-goal advantage.

-12 minutes: Lineups for Nancy-Lille
Nancy: Bracigliano – Chrétien, André Luiz, Puygrenier, Sauget – Gavanon, Berenguer, Hadji – Kim, Malonga, Fortuné
Lille: Sylva – Lichsteiner, Béria, Rami, Tafforeau – Makoun, Dumont, Obraniak, Debuchy – Bastos, Fauvergue

-19 minutes: There are two other matches being played tomorrow: Auxerre-Le Mans and Nice-PSG.

-22 minutes: Lineups for Toulouse-Monaco
Toulouse: Douchez – Ebondo, Arribagé, Cetto, Ilunga – Paulo Cesar, Dieuze, Sissoko, Mansaré – Elmander, Emana
Monaco: Roma – Cufré, Modesto, Monsoreau, Muratori – Bernardi, Adriano, Pino, Meriem – Nené, Piquionne

-25 minutes: Don’t know what’s taking so long for LFP to give the lineups for Nancy-Lille and Toulouse-Monaco. I should have them in a sec.

-29 minutes: After their disastrous start to the season, Lens are back on track, having won their last two matches (against Metz and Saint-Étienne). A third victory is very plausible, seeing as Lorient have only won once on the road this season (against PSG, Matchday 3).

-32 minutes: If Nancy wins against Lille tonight, they’ll be back at three points behind Lyon, with a game in hand. Perrin’s crew are not sitting as pretty as they might think.

-38 minutes: Lineups for Strasbourg-Valenciennes
Strasbourg: Cassard – Dos Santos, Ducrocq, Szelesi, Paisley – Rodrigo, Cohade, Johansen, Moulenga – Gameiro, Mouloungui
Valenciennes: Penneteau – Sommeil, Ouaddou, Traoré, Mater – Belmadi, Sanchez, Roudet, Saez – Savidan, Sebo

-40 minutes: Lineups for Saint-Étienne-Sochaux
Saint-Étienne: Janot – Tavlaridis, Dabo, Matuidi – Landrin, Perrin, Sall, Payet – Ilan, Gigliotti, Feindouno
Sochaux: Richert – Afolabi, Bréchet, Daf, Pichot – Dalmat, Pitau, Isabey – Sene, Pancrate, Dagano

-43 minutes: Lineups for Marseille-Metz
Marseille: Mandanda – Faty, Bonnart, Zubar, Givet – Cheyrou, Zenden, M’Bami, Nasri, Valbuena – Niang
Metz: Marichez – Delhommeau, Diop, Strasser, Gueye – Bessat, Agouazzi, Gygax, Pjanic – Bong, Cissé

-46 minutes: Lineups for Lens-Lorient
Lens: Runje – Ramos, Coulibaly, Laurenti, Aubey – Bisevac, Lacour, Sablé – Pieroni, Monnet-Paquet, Dindane
Lorient: Audard – Ciani, Morel, Marchal – Abriel, Ewolo, Le Pen, Hautcoeur, Jallet – Saifi, Vahirua

-50 minutes: Lineups for Caen-Bordeaux
Caen: Planté – Seube, Thiam, Sorbon, Hengbart – Deroin, Proment, Florentin, Eluchans – Mazure, Gouffran
Bordeaux: Ramé – Jurietti, Diawara, Chalmé, Planus – Diarra, Micoud, Alonso – Jussié, Wendel, Bellion

Okay you guys, kick-off is in roughly forty-five minutes. News from Rennes: Lyon have emerged victors there, 2-0 with goals from Juni and Ben Arfa.

A reminder: This liveblog will consist of seven matches, Caen-Bordeaux; Lens-Lorient; Marseille-Metz; Nancy-Lille; Saint-Étienne-Sochaux; Strasbourg-Valenciennes; Toulouse-Monaco. Feel free to weigh in on anything in the comments. T-MINUS 53 minutes.