PSG still hooked, OL reassures itself a little and sad record for Angers

The head of Ligue 1 is treading water: PSG were held in check by Reims (1-1) on Sunday during the 20th day, while Lens and Marseille also conceded a draw by the same score by Monaco and Troyes.

In the Breton derby, Lorient won 2-1 against Rennes who were still too tentative in defense.

With this convincing success, the Hakes temporarily go back to 6th place, two points behind Rennais, who stagnate in 5th place.

For its part, Olympique Lyonnais played a paradoxical match in Ajaccio.

Dominated in the game and in the number of clear chances, the Lyonnais won by a comfortable gap (2-0), ending a series of three games without a win.

In Angers, the situation borders on despair.

The Angevins chained a twelfth consecutive defeat, this time in Brest (4-0), another club in difficulty, equaling the record jointly held by the Cercle athlétique Paris (1933-1934) and Dijon (2020-2021).

The SCO, which sold its Moroccan midfielder Azzedine Ounahi to Olympique de Marseille this weekend, is last with only eight points, behind Auxerre (13 points), Ajaccio and Strasbourg (15), and Brest (18).

FC Barcelona unclamps Real Madrid

Real Madrid were hung 0-0 by Real Sociedad on Sunday for the 19th day of La Liga and let FC Barcelona's lead increase in La Liga.

The people of Madrid have had plenty of chances through Vinicius or Karim Benzema, but the Basques have also had their chances, and remain third (39 points) just three points behind Carlo Ancelotti's men.

FC Barcelona are in the lead, now leading with five points after their 1-0 victory in Girona.

The Catalans won thanks to a goal from Pedri in the empty cage on a cross from Jordi Alba on the hour mark, at the conclusion of a great collective action (61st).

The brilliant Canarian midfielder came into play in the 25th minute in place of Ousmane Dembélé, visibly injured.

For his 100th official match with the Blaugranas, the young Barça prodigy distinguished himself by scoring his sixth goal of the season, his personal best.

Atlético Madrid, for their part, overcame Osasuna 1-0 and remain in contact with the leading trio, five points behind Real Sociedad.

Led by a fit Antoine Griezmann, the Colchoneros conceded a few chances in the second period, but managed to find the fault with an opening deep in the axis of Rodrigo de Paul, concluded from the right and in power by Saul Niguez (74th ).

General tightening at the top of the Bundesliga

Established for the first time after his testicular cancer, Sébastien Haller signed with Borussia Dortmund, against Leverkusen (2-0) on Sunday, a third success in 2023 to return to three points from Bayern Munich on the evening of the 18th day of the Bundesliga .

The German championship has completely tightened at the top of the standings, with five teams standing in three points after 18 days, and even six in five points, after Bayern Munich's three draws in 2023 (in Leipzig, against Cologne and Frankfurt), ten times German champion in title but in slow motion.

Bayern are still in first place with 37 points, one more than Union Berlin (36), two more than Leipzig (35) and three more than Borussia Dortmund and Freiburg (34).

Eintracht Frankfurt is in ambush of this quintet with 32 points.

Note that it was the Frenchman Randal Kolo Muani who allowed Frankfurt to obtain the draw against Bayern Munich, scoring his seventh goal of the season (1-1).

Naples still superior

While Naples maintains a hellish train at the top of Serie A, beating AS Rome (2-1), nothing is going well for AC Milan, crushed at San Siro by Sassuolo (5-2) in the lineage of a black month of January, and Juventus Turin, dominated at home by Monza (2-0) and stuck in the depths.

Napoli, carried by jewels to see and see again from Victor Osimhen and Giovanni Simeone, further increases its lead with now thirteen points on Inter Milan, its new runner-up, and fifteen on a trio made up of Lazio Rome (3rd ), Atalanta Bergamo (4th) and AC Milan (5th).

The Rossoneri, pushed out of the Top-4 after Lazio Rome's draw in front of Fiorentina (1-1), do seem to have drawn a line under the scudetto, through the fault of a month of January upside down .

Despite a goal from Olivier Giroud, his first since the World Cup, AC Milan was once again unrecognizable, as in the Italian Super Cup against Inter Milan (3-0) ten days ago or Tuesday in Rome against Lazio (4-0).

The champion, outclassed by a team which had not won since October, conceded eighteen goals in seven matches in 2023. And it had been more than 25 years and a 6-1 defeat against Juventus of Turin that he did not hadn't conceded five goals at home.

Juventus are also in low spirits after being beaten for the second time this season by Monza, for forgetting to defend in the first half;

trapped by Patrick Ciurria (18th) and Dany Mota (39th).

"We conceded ten goals in three matches (1-5 against Napoli, 3-3 against Atalanta, editor's note)... We have to regain points, our ranking is that currently", warned coach Massimiliano Happy.

Because Juve is now 13th, overtaken by Monza (11th) and Fiorentina (12th), because of its penalty of fifteen points last week in the case of overvalued capital gains, pending the appeal filed by the Bianconeri.

With AFP

The summary of the

France 24 week invites you to come back to the news that marked the week

I subscribe

Take international news everywhere with you!

Download the France 24 app