Lyon defeated Marseille 1-0 with a late own goal after Marseille went down to 10 men. Monaco beat Strasbourg 3-2 in a five-goal thriller. Paris FC won 3-2 over Metz. Lyon and PSG are at the top of the table while Marseille is 10th.
The French Ligue 1 witnessed a weekend of dramatic finishes and surprising results, as Lyon secured a late victory over Marseille, while Monaco battled to a thrilling win against Strasbourg. Elsewhere, Paris Saint-Germain continued their strong start, and Paris FC celebrated their return to the top flight with a crucial win.
Marseille's early-season struggles continued as they fell to a 1-0 defeat against Lyon at the Groupama Stadium. The match turned decisively in the 29th minute when CJ Egan-Riley was shown a red card for a foul on Malick Fofana, leaving Marseille with a numerical disadvantage for over an hour. Despite Lyon's dominance in possession and chances created, Marseille's defense held firm until the dying minutes.
However, with just three minutes left on the clock, Lyon finally broke the deadlock in dramatic fashion. A goalmouth scramble following a corner saw Nicolas Tagliafico's effort hit the crossbar, and Pavel Sulc's follow-up was cleared off the line. Unfortunately for Marseille, the ball rebounded off captain Leonardo Balerdi and into his own net, handing Lyon a precious victory. The win sees Lyon join PSG at the top of the table with maximum points, while Marseille languish in 10th place, already six points adrift.
Earlier on Sunday, Monaco recovered from their defeat to Lille with a hard-fought 3-2 win against Strasbourg. Monaco took a 2-0 lead thanks to goals from Maghnes Akliouche and Folarin Balogun. However, Strasbourg mounted a spirited comeback, with substitutes Dilane Bakwa and Joaquin Panichelli scoring two goals in quick succession to level the scores.
With the game heading for a draw, Takumi Minamino popped up with a 96th-minute winner for Monaco, heading home Akliouche's cross to spark jubilant scenes. Strasbourg's misery was compounded when Rabby Nzingoula was sent off in stoppage time as Monaco secured a thrilling victory. Monaco and Strasbourg both have six points.
Paris FC marked their return to Ligue 1 with a 3-2 victory over Metz. Moses Simon scored the decisive goal for Paris FC.
Lyon's victory is particularly noteworthy given their tumultuous pre-season. The club faced potential demotion from Ligue 1 and expulsion from the Europa League due to financial issues, but successfully overturned those decisions on appeal. Their strong start to the season is a testament to their resilience and determination.
The match also saw Lyon bid farewell to forward Georges Mikautadze, who is set to join Villarreal. Mikautadze was a key player for Lyon last season, contributing 11 goals and six assists in 34 Ligue 1 appearances.
Marseille, on the other hand, will be disappointed with their start to the season, having lost two of their opening three matches. They will need to improve quickly if they are to challenge for a European place this season.