Lille-Metz, Dupraz mission, arbitration, Neymar: the tops and flops of the 25th day of Ligue 1

Tops

• Lafont, Djoco, Rajkovic, Omlin: it was the goalkeepers’ weekend

Rajkovic had fewer saves to make but his double save on Youcef Belaïli’s penalty kept Reims alive. As for Jonas Omlin, Montpellier’s dependence on him is almost as great as that on Téji Savanier, as evidenced by his still royal match against Lorient to bring back the three points. They are not always the most prominent porters, but this weekend the spotlight was logically on them.

• Kadewere seized his chance

He had not started an OL match in the league since October 24. A bad memory for Tino Kadewrere, whose expulsion in the 85th minute precipitated a nightmarish end to the match for Les Gones (3-2). He took advantage of the absence of Moussa Dembélé to find a place in the Lyon eleven in Lens. And his goal at the end of the first period allowed Lyon to leave with a point from Bollaert in a delicate context (1-1). The Rhone striker even came close to offering an assist to Lucas Paqueta in the second half. He did not succeed in this match. But he was able to seize the chance offered to him, and it’s already a big step forward.

• Sunday sweets 3 p.m.

Nine goals scored at half-time in the four matches of the 3 p.m. multiplex: Ligue 1 quickly offered its lovers something to enjoy on Sunday. With, as a bonus, some exceptional gestures. In Reims, Romain Del Castillo distinguished himself with a formidable assist from the outside of the left foot, for Martin Satriano, who concluded with a high-level sequence to allow Brest to equalize. Almost at the same time, Strasbourg defender Lucas Perrin gave Racing the advantage on the lawn of Saint-Etienne… thanks to an acrobatic volley worthy of a professional striker. After the break, it was collectively that Rennes made their mark, with a high-class action concluded at close range by Martin Terrier. There was something for everyone.

• The Dupraz mission takes shape

It’s a small event: this Monday, Saint-Etienne is neither relegated nor play-off. A first since… the 5th day. It’s very simple, since the derby lost against OL (and apart from the unfortunate elimination in the Cup against Bergerac), the Greens have been advancing almost at a champion’s pace. In the last four matches played in L1, the men of Forez have recovered 10 points, with this draw still full of character against Strasbourg this Sunday (2-2). After the derby, they were thus 5 points behind the first non-relegation player. Here they are now one point ahead of a pack of four competitors blocked at 21 units (Troyes, Lorient, Metz, Bordeaux). Pascal Dupraz’s mission impossible is more than ever underway…

Flops

• Lille-Metz, already the worst match of the year?

• Neymar, annoying return

It is an understatement to say that it was expected. Neymar had not started for almost three months and his ankle injury during the victory of PSG in Saint-Etienne on November 28. He started against Nantes. And the Brazilian has had mixed fortunes. There were a few well-felt passes, but also a lot of lost balls and an always random defensive replacement. There was this goal at the start of the second half but above all this missed penalty on the hour mark, shot too softly and stopped by an Alban Lafont in a state of grace, which extinguished the last Parisian hopes at La Beaujoire. A contrasting record for a disappointing return.

• Alternating Current Arbitrage

Do not look on the relegation side: the team with the worst current series in Ligue 1 is Angers. On the lawn of Nice (1-0), the SCO conceded its fourth loss in a row in the league, the second without scoring. We have to go back to December 5 to find traces of an Angevin away victory. And this in all competitions, since the formation of Gérald Baticle had even fallen to Linas-Montlhéry, resident of National 3 (2-0), in the Coupe de France. Sofiane Boufal and her teammates still have a margin in the relegation zone. But the content is insufficient, and doubts could take more and more space.