Record signing Javier Pastore laid on two goals as big-spending Paris Saint-Germain came from behind to record a timely 3-1 victory at Toulouse on Sunday, while champions LOSC Lille Metropole won 3-2 at home against Olympique de Marseille.
Having fallen behind to a first-half header from Etienne Capoue, PSG leveled in the 57th minute when record signing Pastore released Kevin Gameiro to lift the ball past Toulouse goalkeeper Ali Ahamada.
Pastore was then thwarted by Ahamada, but in the last minute the Argentine rolled a pass into the box for Mevlut Erding to prod home from close-range.
Photo: AFP
It could be Erding’s last goal for the club, as he is reportedly poised to join Stade Rennais, and the Turkey international also set up the visitors’ third goal for Jeremy Menez in stoppage-time.
Lille’s Senegalese striker Moussa Sow, the top Ligue 1 scorer last season with 25 goals, finally got his name on the scoresheet with his first two goals of this campaign as the champions claimed their first win at home.
Sow opened the scoring after 15 minutes and added the second when he converted a penalty on 75 minutes, with Aurelien Chedjou getting Lille’s third.
Photo: AFP
A Mathieu Valbuena double (57 and 62 minutes) failed to lift last season’s runners-up Marseille, who are still looking for their first win as they sit 16th with just three points, six behind leaders Montpellier Herault, who lost 2-1 at Olympique Lyonnais on Saturday.
“It’s a huge disappointment,” Olympique de Marseille coach Didier Deschamps said. “Obviously, it’s a bad result for us.”
Bitter rival’s PSG shone under the sun in Toulouse.
Victory represented an important result for PSG coach Antoine Kombouare, amid media rumors he had been given two games to save his job by owners Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) prior to the 2-1 win over Valenciennes last weekend.
“In open play, [Toulouse] hadn’t conceded a goal in nine matches. Tonight, we scored three,” Kombouare said.
The win took PSG up to third in the table, two points behind Montpellier and above Toulouse on goal-difference.
Rennes got their league campaign back on track by beating Stade Malherbe Caen 3-2 to record their first home win of the campaign.
Beaten 4-0 at Montpellier last weekend, but victors by the same scoreline against Red Star Belgrade in the Europa League, Rennes took the lead in the fifth minute when Razak Boukari headed in Julien Feret’s deflected free-kick.
Further goals from Jires Kembo Ekoko and Kader Mangane put the hosts 3-0 up at the break, but Caen reduced the arrears in the second half through Thomas Heurtaux and Frederic Bulot.
Sochaux-Montbeliard reacted to their Europa League elimination at the hands of Metalist Kharkiv by beating AS Saint-Etienne 2-1 thanks to a double from Algerian international Ryad Boudebouz.
Paulao was sent off for the visitors in the second half and their mood was worsened further by the news that Steed Malbranque is contemplating retirement.
“Steed came to see me to say that he was having personal problems and couldn’t make the trip,” Saint-Etienne coach Christophe Galtier said. “It’s not impossible [that he retires]. You’d have to ask him. In any case, I saw a troubled guy and I’m worried about him.”
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