Matchday 16: Wait for it… Wait for it… Bam! Goals!

By: Sam | December 3rd, 2007

Let’s just say Canal+ picked the right three matches to be shown on TV on Sunday. In those three, which were Valenciennes-Rennes, Bordeaux-Toulouse and Lyon-Strasbourg, fifteen goals were scored. And these weren’t your everyday five-goal matches, no sir (thank God!). Valenciennes continued their impressive first half of the season with a 3-0 triumph over Rennes, Lyon creamed a somehow not-that-bad Strasbourg 5-0 at Gerland, and Bordeaux came out on top in an epic match in which they went up 3-0, gave up three in the second half and scored in the last five minutes.

With Lyon taking their rightful three points, it’s to be noted that their closest threat, Nancy, slipped up in Le Mans, giving up two goals after scoring early. This means they’re now a flustering six points behind Lyon, but with a game in hand.

As for the Bordeaux-Toulouse game, here’s how it went. Wendel scored a sublime free-kick early on, followed by a Alou Diarra header and another absolute cracker from the Brazilian who’s making quite a name for himself in the league, this one on a left-footed volley. With things looking safe, les Girondins were caught off guard by their feisty neighbours. Although Johan Elmander scored their first goal on an unwarranted penalty, he got the second fair and square thanks to Bordeaux’s so-so defending, and got the amazing equalizer minutes later on a beautiful Ebondo cross. But oh ho ho- it was all for naught, as young Ducasse scored a lucky free-kick that went in past Douchez, who thought someone was going to touch it. Yes, I’m the guy who always picks at Bordeaux and calls them boring. I stand corrected. For this week at least.

But with these tussles at the top, we musn’t forget the cellar-dwellers. It was yet another sad day for PSG (has their ever been a happy one in the last two years?) when they lost to Caen at home on Saturday, in the most brutal of circumstances. With the kops vacating their seats for the first fifteen minutes in protest of PSG’s horrid home record this year, the eleven on the pitch knew one error would draw even more bad reactions from the home fans.

Well.

If there is a God, he must be a Marseille fan, because Caen scored the only goal of the match on a brutal, brutal, brutal, brutal, brutal mistake from Brazilian defender Ceara. Though he had all the time in the world in his own zone to do whatever he pleased, he decided to wait until the pressure had come and quite simply tripped on the ball out of nowhere and let Florentin waltz in and lift his strike past Landreau. If PSG fail to win next week at Auxerre, the fans will have a field day. Because the relegation zone ain’t a good place to be in.

As I said previously, Lyon dismantled Strasbourg by five goals to nil at Gerland, in a match which saw Kimmy Kallström score a brace, François Clerc score his first league goal ever, Benzema score his league-leading twelvth and Juninho score from a free-kick (oh and the sky is blue by the way). Inara has the details at the Lyon Offside.

At Lille, the hosts and the visitors Marseille couldn’t figure each other out and had to part with a point each, which doesn’t really suit either side. Sitting at 15th and 16th respectively, something has to be done. Marseille’s goal came from Niang, who was also appointed le buteur de Novembre for scoring four in the league last month.

And Metz still sucks. They lost one-nil to Auxerre at home.

Other scores: Lorient 1-1 Saint-Étienne; Monaco 1-1 Ugly camo-wearing fools aka Nice; Sochaux 0-2 Lens