Week 4
NEWSLETTER Week 4
LIGUE 1
Week 3 review: First win for PSG, OM still on top
PSG collected their win of the season, 2-1 in Nantes, but 2012-13 runners-up Marseille continue to top the standings as their perfect start to
the season continued. OL, ASSE and Nice all stumbled ahead of crucial European matches.
It may have taken Paris Saint-Germain two weeks to get rolling, but on Sunday night Laurent Blanc's men showed glimpses of their huge potential as
goals from Edinson Cavani and Ezequiel Lavezzi clinched a 2-1 win away to Nantes in front of a packed Stade de la Beaujoire.
Blanc's 4-3-3 formation caused Nantes' five-man defence all sorts of trouble as PSG dominated early, with Cavani bagging his second in as many
starts with a fine angled shot (24'), but Nantes fought back admirably and, after switching to a more orthodox four-man backline, levelled just before
the break as Alex turned a free-kick into his own net (53').
Les Canaris grew in confidence and fought back admirably, but PSG dug deep and Lavezzi popped up on the spot to blast home with 16 minutes left,
clinching the win that took the champions to eighth place.
"I hope it's the first of a long winning run," said the former Bordeaux and France boss, who took the reins at the capital club over the summer. "It was a
tough result to get, but it's one that is more than precious to us. Out intentions were good and we made good runs but we struggled to convert our
chances because we're still not in top shape. But it will come, that's for sure."
Despite remaining undefeated, PSG are still four points off the break-neck pace being set by leaders Marseille, who continued their perfect start to the
season with a 1-0 win in Valenciennes on Saturday.
In-form hitman André-Pierre Gignac claimed his third goal in as many matches to clinch the win and strengthen his case for a recall to the France
set-up, and coach Elie Baup believes his side is well positioned ahead of a busy month ahead.
"At the start of the season, the points are important but it is also a way of preparing for the month of September when we will have a lot of games to
play close together," he explained. "Having nine points already puts us in a good position before our first really big match against Monaco [on Sunday,
September 1]."
OM's busy month will include a return to European action as the Champions League group stage kicks off, but rivals OL are far from certain of joining
them there after they followed a 2-0 mid-week Play-off loss to Real Sociedad with a 1-0 home loss to Reims on Saturday.
With rain bucketing down on the Stade de Gerland, hometown hero Clément Grenier failed to put his spot-kick in the back of the net and Reims' Odair
Fortes exploited the opportunity, his cross deflecting off Milan Bisevac and in (77').
Meanwhile Ligue 1's other European play-off representatives Saint-Etienne and Nice also failed to collect wins after mid-week disappointments. Les
Verts were looking to continue their perfect start to the league season after a 4-3 loss Esbjerg on Thursday, but came unstuck in Lille, where Salomon
Kalou's well-earned spot-kick got Lille back to winning ways 1-0 as Christophe Galtier's men struggled with fatigue.
Nice had the better running of their clash with Ajaccio in Corsica, but after muzzling PSG last week, Fabrizio Ravanelli's side once again proved
impermeable at the back to leave Claude Puel's side frustrated with a 0-0 draw ahead of their Europa League Play-off return leg at home to Apollon
Limassol on Thursday night.
Monaco's strong start to the season shifted down a gear as they were held to a 0-0 stalemate at home to Toulouse, for whom France midfielder
Clément Chantôme made the first appearance of his year-long loan from PSG, but Claudio Ranieri's men remain in second place, two points shy of
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leaders OM.
Bordeaux claimed their first win of the season, 1-0 at home to Bastia, thanks to Henri Saivet's 32nd-minute strike, while Rennes claimed their second
victory 2-1 away to Evian after newly signed Portuguese striker Nelson Oliveira scored his second and third goals of the season.
Philippe Montanier's side ease into fourth place on six points, well ahead of local rivals Lorient, whose 2-0 away loss to another Brittany side,
Guingamp, sees them slump to 16th place. Montpellier climbed into the top half of the table with a 2-1 come-from-behind win over Sochaux, defenders
Vitorino Hilton and Siaka Tiéné scoring in injury time at the end of each half to cancel out Roy Contout's opener.
Week 3 Reactions - Blanc: 'More than precious'
Paris Saint-Germain coach Laurent Blanc underlined the importance of PSG's first win of the season; Saint-Etienne boss Christophe Galtier
wants to make some attacking signings after the 1-0 loss to Lille. All the Week 3 reactions.
Sunday, August 25, 2013
FC Nantes 1 - 2 Paris Saint-Germain
Laurent Blanc (Paris Saint-Germain coach): "I hope it's the first of a long winning run. It was a tough result to get, but it's one that is more than
precious to us. I thought we could have had an easier match. The beginning of our season has been complicated, and even getting a win has been
complicated. Sometimes we lack the lucidity to get the job done. Once again, I have to say that I think my players still aren't in top form physically. The
start of the second half was tough and Nantes put a lot of pressure on us; they were aggressive and we struggled to respond. Each match should
bring us closer to the physical form we need to be in. Our intentions were good and we made good runs but we struggled to convert our chances
because we're still not in top shape. But it will come, that's for sure."
Michel Der Zakarian (Nantes coach): "Do I have regrets? Yes and no: our first 30 minutes were very tough as we didn't play well in our five-defender
formation. We were better balanced in a 4-3-3, won the ball more and were more in control. In the second half, we pushed forward to seek them out
and we managed to move them around, even though it was tough. We equalised, but then unfortunately conceded a second goal. Paris? Physically,
their players aren't 100 per cent yet, but they have an amazing squad with huge potential. We just need to build on what we did well - we have to take
confidence from our performance - and keep making progress in terms of hanging onto the ball and using it well. We were worried we might cop a
hiding tonight, but aside from the first half-hour, we performed well. But we have to take points if we want to beat the drop, and to do that we have to
learn to be more effective."
LOSC Lille 1 - 0 AS Saint-Etienne
René Girard (Lille coach): "We took the three points by shaping up to a side who are difficult to push around. The start of the game was a bit
complicated for us, but then we did what we needed to do, even though we could have controlled the match better in the final fifteen minutes. We're on
the up-and-up, we're improving and that's great. When you dive into a league like this one, its helps to know where you stand vis-à-vis your
competition, but the important thing is still to keep improving with every game - and above all, stay vigilant."
Christophe Galtier (Saint-Etienne coach): "We shouldn't have conceded the penalty and we should have been much more consistent throughout the
match. It's tough to score when you only have six chances in a game. Sure, we're coming out of a European match mid-week, but you need to be
tougher mentally and show character in the long-term. We lacked anchor points up front; we need to be more daring. We need to bring in some new
players in because in the league, it has been flagrantly obvious that we're not creating as many chances as we did last season. We need a bit more
power and quality. We should have taken a point home from Lille, but it's not just a question of points. Until new forwards arrive, the lads who are
playing need to dig deep and help us be more dangerous. It's about mental strength."
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AC Ajaccio 0 - 0 OGC Nice
Fabrizio Ravanelli (Ajaccio coach): "It's a good point that we won here tonight, and terrific that we once again kept a clean sheet. The lads are giving
their all, even though we didn't manage to be very dangerous in front of goal. We mustn't forget that in terms of forwards, we had a lot of absences
today. After three matches in a row against opponents playing European matches, I'm pleased to have two points in the bank. But we do need to
sharpen up in front of goal. Still, with six players out injured, it's good to take a point against Nice. We lost a lot of challenges and we resorted too
easily to a long-ball game, but in defence we were rock-solid."
Claude Puel (Nice coach): "The essential thing was to rediscover our coherence, quality and character. And that's what we did. My team was
combative, very rigorous and very disciplined."
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Valenciennes FC 0 - 1 Olympique de Marseille
Daniel Sanchez (Valenciennes coach): "I hope that doesn't turn out to be the story of our season. Already, against Bastia, we had great chances and
then, after a misunderstanding, we lose. There was very little in this match. We knew we needed to take our chances, that is essential in football. We
had the chance to score before Marseille went in front and we didn't take it. We failed to pick up a man at their goal, that sums up the match. On the
whole, we faced up well to Marseille and tried to play a little more in the second half. We were a little shy in the first half but were well organised and
didn't offer them many chances. But in football there is the defensive aspect and the attacking aspect."
Elie Baup (Marseille coach): "At the start of the season, the points are important but it is also a way of preparing for the month of September when we
will have a lot of games to play close together. Having nine points already puts us in a good position before our first really big match against Monaco
(on Sunday, September 1). We still have a lot of things to work on but it is better to correct things and keep working while you are winning games. We
won 1-0, but we got spanked here last year and didn't want the same thing to happen again. We knew that Valenciennes were capable of pressing us
high and that we couldn't afford to give away silly free-kicks or cheap possession. To avoid that, we tried to play the long ball more than usual. You
could see that they were waiting for us to make a mistake but we got round that by going long, which didn't always produce quality football but we were
focused on not making mistakes."
Girondins de Bordeaux 1 - 0 SC Bastia
Francis Gillot (Bordeaux coach): "We started well and then had more problems in the second half. Our opponents retook control but we had chances
to finish them off and failed to take them. We were never completely home and dry. We won the ball back a lot less often in the second half and when
we had possession we gave it straight back. Despite that, we had two or three clear chances. We didn't concede a goal and we still have very young
players. They played well and that is good news for the club. They maybe make mistakes but they will rectify that over time. Henri Saivet has been
working hard on his free-kicks after training and he was recompensed for his efforts."
Frédéric Hantz (Bastia coach): "We were under the cosh too much in the first half, but the second half was a different match entirely. We played well
and managed to exploit the spaces in the midfield. Bordeaux played better than in their opening two matches. We still have some adjustments to make
and we were maybe a little apprehensive too. Bordeaux are capable of being dangerous in every area but we still have progress to make."
Evian-Thonon-Gaillard FC 1 - 2 Stade Rennais FC
Pascal Dupraz (Evian-Thonon-Gaillard coach): "Obviously I am very disappointed with the result. It was a catastrophic situation for us with a first half
in which we were posted missing, we struggled to string passes together and there was not enough movement. We were deservedly punished. The
second half was better and we scored a magnificent goal but we couldn't find the equaliser, which was down to their excellent goalkeeper but also to
our poor finishing yet again. Certain players are not living up to expectations but we have a lot of youngsters and we are going to continue with them.
We have had a bad start to the season, just as we did last year. We have just one point from three games, two of which were at home, so there is
already a sense of urgency. We are last, but we are at a club where solidarity reigns so we will get out of this."
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Philippe Montanier (Rennes coach): "I am satisfied with the way we started the match and with our first half. We could have been 3-0 up at half-time
with some better finishing. In the second half, the fact that we conceded a goal early on gave Evian confidence, but we didn't cede to them. We stuck
together and kept creating chances. We can't complain about winning but with better finishing we could have been out of sight sooner. We are still
building but the team is improving. Not everything is perfect, but with the same spirit we showed here we will progress. To have six points on the board
is good for confidence. Tonight, we had seven players on the teamsheet aged between 18 and 20. They will progress as the season goes on. I am
very pleased for Nelson Oliveira. He was excellent in the first half and worked hard for the team. He has three goals in three games, which is
promising for the future."
EA Guingamp 2-0 FC Lorient
Jocelyn Gourvennec (Guingamp coach): "It is a significant victory. The fact that we were playing Lorient before we go to the Parc (des Princes) meant
we had to take the game to them and take our chances, and we did that. We pressed Lorient well, as they have players who are comfortable on the
ball when they have the time but when they are harried they struggle. So, by always pressing them and forcing them to play it quickly, they lost their
way and I think that was the key to winning the game. We were never really put in real trouble, often at set-pieces, but rarely in open play, and it was
satisfying not to concede a goal. We found a good compromise between the desire to press and to play our game of pass and move. We needed to
get some points on the board after all the work we have done in the last eight weeks. This will do everyone a lot of good but it is just three points and
there are still 39 points to take (to stay up). Yatabaré always puts in so much effort and he has been rewarded. He was excellent with his back to goal
against a very physical central defensive pairing. And he gets in the right place at the right time. He emerged as a goalscorer last year and has a taste
for it now."
Christian Gourcuff (Lorient coach): "We played ok for ten minutes and then we saw a repeat of what happened at Lille (a 1-0 defeat in Week 1). How
do we remedy that? I don't have a psychology degree. Our collective game crumbled, we made technical errors. Their direct style caused us problems.
There was a world of difference between Guingamp's intensity and our way of playing. A lot of our players were worrying tonight. There was no
collective reaction. We can't continue like that, evidently. There is a difference between what we do during the week and what we do during the game,
and that is a real problem. We have a mental problem and technical limitations. Our inability to string passes together worries me. There are still 35
matches left in which to react but if we wait until the 35th it will be too late."
Olympique Lyonnais 0 - 1 Stade de Reims
Rémi Garde (Lyon coach): "It is a major disappointment to lose when you look at the match as a whole. We did what we had to do to win the game but
just lacked a break in the second half. We had chances and it is very difficult to go home with nothing. A draw, at the very least, would have been a
fairer reflection of the game. We need to grin and bear this. You could say it has been a black week. When you lose two games on the trot it's not
exactly positive. But there will be better days to come. This is a young team and we need to mature and grow up quickly and make sure we don't get
left behind."
Jean-Pierre Caillot (Reims president): "Our boys showed lots of desire, lots of heart, lots of pride. But certain incidents helped us too. There was the
penalty miss and then Odaïr's ball which went in. Once again we have captured imaginations by beating Lyon, this time on their own turf. To win at this
stage of the season obviously allows us to gain points but also really boosts our confidence. Now the squad will be able to keep working in peace."
Montpellier Hérault SC 2-1 FC Sochaux-Montbéliard
Jean Fernandez (Montpellier coach): "We snatched the win, it was not easy. We got a lucky break in that it was a mistake by a Sochaux defender that
allowed us to win. We were missing a bit of calm in our play against a team that was well-organised defensively. We needed to play the ball quicker
and use the flanks more, but we were not able to do that. There were two or three occasions in the first half when we were put in trouble but luckily we
equalised just before half-time. We didn't create much after that and we needed the sending-off of a Sochaux player. It was laborious right to the end
and we were lucky. We can be satisfied at taking the three points."
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Éric Hély (Sochaux coach): "It is a cruel result but our play was encouraging at times. The players deserved to come away with a point but it's not the
case. In the first half I was disappointed that we conceded a goal three minutes after scoring. Montpellier would have started to have doubts had we
led 1-0 at the break. After that, we were well organised and held on but football is cruel. One technical error can destroy a whole evening. Even after
the red card we thought for a long time that we would come away with a draw. It is hard on the players, on us, but I know they will react."
Friday, August 23, 2013
AS Monaco FC 0 - 0 Toulouse FC
Claudio Ranieri (Monaco coach): "It was a very good match. We played very well in the first half. We played down the wings and got in behind. The
only thing missing was the goal. In the second half, on the other hand, there was a lot of nervousness in our team. The players wanted to win the
match. They were looking for the goal. They rushed things and tried to do things on their own. The final pass was not good and lacking in precision.
But it is not possible to win every match. On top of that, the atmosphere was very difficult. The players are used to playing in front of a crowd.
Toulouse were defensive, like the sides we came up against in Ligue 2 last year. That is normal. We expect that. But I am quite satisfied, especially
because we might have lost at the end. We are top? Yes but that is not important."
Radamel Falcao (Monaco): "We will have a lot of games like that. We need to resolve our problems and be more efficient up front. We had chances in
the first half. In the second half, we wanted to score. It was all a little disordered. Toulouse reduced the spaces intelligently. They worked very well. My
duel with (Aymen) Abdennour? He is a very good player, a very good defender. I know that my direct opponents want to come out on top in their
confrontations with me. That has always been the case in my career."
Alain Casanova (Toulouse coach): "It is a good point which was not easy to obtain. I saw my team like I hadn't seen them for a long time in terms of
the way they helped one another, the solidarity, the self-sacrifice. Yes, we were under the cosh in the first half, but we corrected a lot of things at
half-time and, apart from the shot by (Jérémy) Toulalan against the bar, they didn't create a chance. And with a bit of accuracy, control and lucidity, we
might even have left with the victory. That would have been hard on Monaco but it was possible. The group as a whole and the team displayed real
unity. Monaco were what we expected. They will be even better when they further develop their collective with (João) Moutinho, James Rodríguez in
better form and (Radamel) Falcao at his best."
STATATTACK: Nelson Oliveira fills goals column
Portuguese international Nelson Oliveira has scored three goals for Stade Rennais FC in just two starts and André-Pierre Gignac cannot
stop scoring openers for Ligue 1 leaders OM. Check out all the key stats in the official Ligue 1 Week 3 Statattack!
Nelson Oliveira
Nelson Oliveira has made a magnificent start to his Rennes career. The 22-year-old, signed on a season-long loan from Portuguese giants Benfica
with an option to buy clause, scored his first Ligue 1 double in Rennes' 2-1 win at Evian in Week 3. The forward had also scored in the 2-1 loss at Nice
the previous week in his only previous start in the French league.
Nelson Oliveira has made a habit of making an instant impact when loaned out from Benfica. In 2010-2011 he scored two goals in his first four
matches for Paços Ferreira in the Portuguese league and repeated the feat in La Liga with Deportivo La Coruna in 2012-2013.
For Rennes his aim has been close to unerring. Nelson Oliveira has been on target with seven of his eight shots in Ligue 1 (87.5%). He averages a
goal every 2.66 shots and has scored all three of his goals in the first half of games.
Olympique de Marseille
OM's 1-0 win at Valenciennes ended a run of four trips to the northern club without tasting victory. Marseille have scored in each of their last nine visits
to Valenciennes.
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The victory was OM's sixth by a 1-0 scoreline in 2013, the joint-highest number of such wins in the five major European leagues along with Paris
Saint-Germain.
André-Pierre Gignac was the difference between the sides on Saturday with the striker opening the scoring for the third time in as many matches this
season.
OM had the most shots on target in Week 3 (8) and had the most shots in total (17) of any away club over the weekend.
The pick of the rest
8: Paris Saint-Germain are unbeaten in their last eight Ligue 1 meetings with Nantes and have won six of those games.
13: Salomon Kalou of Lille's winner against Saint-Etienne on Sunday was his 13th Ligue 1 goal of 2013, making him the most prolific player in the
division this calendar year, one goal in front of PSG's Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
11: Henri Saivet (4) and Cheick Diabaté (7) have scored 11 of the last 13 goals scored by Bordeaux in competitive fixtures, including the last six in
Ligue 1.
13: Lille are unbeaten at home against Saint-Etienne in 13 matches, suffering their last defeat in the fixture in September 1993. Since then Lille have
won nine times and there have been four draws.
5: Montpellier's last-gasp 2-1 win at home to Sochaux was their fifth consecutive victory against Les Lionceaux in Ligue 1. Montpellier are unbeaten
against Sochaux in the division since May 2004 and since then have won eight and drawn one.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
Lyon miss out on lucrative group stage
A second-half Carlos Vela brace saw Real Sociedad beat Olympique Lyonnais 2-0 in the second leg of their Champions League play-off on
Wednesday, OL losing 4-0 on aggregate to miss out on a place in the lucrative group stage.
Wednesday, August 28, 2013
UEFA Champions League Play-Off, second leg
Real Sociedad de Fútbol 2 - 0 Olympique Lyonnais (Real Sociedad win 4-0 on aggregate)
Mexican star Vela, who sparkled along with the rest of the Spanish side's talented forward line, headed home in the 67th minute to leave Lyon with too
much to do after a night in which the Ligue 1 club had plenty of possession but created next to no genuine goalscoring chances. And he then wrapped
up his side's place in Thursday's group-stage draw with a solo effort right at the death.
For the second year running, Rémi Garde's team will have to settle for playing in the Europa League in the autumn after they failed to pull off what
would have been a remarkable comeback against the club that finished fourth in La Liga last season.
The size of the task awaiting Lyon was enormous. In the history of the European Cup, no team had ever recovered from losing 2-0 at home in the first
leg to win a tie, and confidence in the OL ranks had been badly hit by their 1-0 home loss to Reims at the weekend. Here, Garde made three changes
to his team from that game, with the suspended Milan Bi?evac being replaced in central defence by Samuel Umtiti while Clément Grenier and Yassine
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Benzia were also recalled.
The hosts made two changes in defence from the team that won in stunning fashion at the Stade de Gerland, with the injured Carlos Martínez and the
French-born Liassine Cadamuro being replaced by Dani Estrada and Ion Ansotegi respectively.
Wearing their all-red change kit, Lyon sought to pin that defence back as often as possible and the opening stages of the game were played out
largely in the home half of the field. However, the closest OL came to snatching a lead came in the fifth minute, when Alexandre Lacazette, standing
inside the six-yard box, failed to connect cleanly with a Yoann Gourcuff cross. The forward appeared to be waiting for an offside flag that never came.
The Basque club were well organised off the ball and intelligent in their movement in the final third when on the attack. The French winger Antoine
Griezmann - who slipped through the Lyon academy's net as a youngster - was too quick for an exposed OL defence but Anthony Lopes in goal stood
up well to his attempted chip.
Vela then fired inches wide after connecting first-time with a Griezmann corner, before Anthony Lopes made another good save to keep out an
attempted chip by Vela, but crucially Lyon never really looked like breaking through the home defence.
Eager to give Real something to think about, Garde withdrew Benzia at the interval and sent on the 20-year-old Nabil Fekir, another of the many
talented youngsters at his disposal. But it was the hosts who came desperately close to taking the lead, and extending their aggregate lead, in the 49th
minute when Vela found Haris Seferovic at the end of a counter-attack, and the striker's shot struck the inside of the post and rolled along the line to
safety.
Seferovic may have scored a superb goal in the first leg but his finishing this time was profligate. At the end of another breakaway led by Griezmann,
the Swiss striker missed the target when it appeared easier to score. He then forced a save out of Anthony Lopes low down at his near post, and from
the resulting corner, the hosts finally struck, Griezmann's delivery being headed home by Vela, who was unmarked on the edge of the six-yard box.
Lyon's already slim hopes were finally ended, but there was still time for Vela to break through from inside his own half and score again, as Garde's
team miss out on the Champions League proper for a second year running, leaving just Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille to fly the flag for Ligue 1 in
Europe's leading club competition.
Garde looks for Europa League growth
Rémi Garde said his young Olympique Lyonnais team would continue to "grow in the Europa League" having lost out to Real Sociedad in
the race for a Champions League group stage place.
Real Sociedad 2 - 0 Olympique Lyonnais
Jagoba Arrasate (Sociedad coach): "You just needed to go into the dressing-room to see the joy. It was one of the important objectives of this season
and we've done it. Lyon surprised us a little at the start with very direct play. They wanted to play in our half of the pitch, push, and it was a little difficult
to get out from under that pressure. But as time went on, we felt better and better."
Rémi Garde (Lyon coach): "The team started well and we had one or two promising situations. At that moment, we had a lot of hope. The longer the
game went on, it was more difficult. I think you have to be lucid enough to say that when you lose 2-0 twice, your opponent was stronger. We believed
we could make them doubt by opening the score, but we didn't manage to do that.
"I would have preferred the players to grow with the Champions League. It would have been difficult for us, but it's a competition which would have
allowed them to improve. We're going to grow with the Europa League, which is perhaps a little more within our capabilities. We're in a period of
transition. We know that we're going to have times in which we'll suffer. Right now, it's not very easy. I don't think we'll have teams of the calibre of
Real Sociedad up against us every day."
Maxime Gonalons (Lyon midfielder): "We wanted to do something special. We knew that we started with a big handicap, but we gave everything and
unfortunately it didn't work out. There's disappointment as the Champions League is a magnificent competition to play in and we find ourselves in the
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Europa League. Everyone gave their all. Over the two legs, Real Sociedad fully deserve their qualification. We gave everything, but weren't rewarded.
We have to react quickly."
Duo learn group-stage fate
Olympique de Marseille have been given a testing challenge to reach the Champions League knockout stages after Thursday's group-stage
draw, though Paris Saint-Germain will be more confident of making the last 16.
OM were paired with Arsenal, last season's runners-up Borussia Dortmund and Napoli in a formidable-looking Group F. The 1992-93 Champions
League winners already faced Dortmund and Arsenal in the 2011-12 group stage, securing a goalless draw in London and triumphing 3-2 in Dortmund
in a thrilling encounter to pip the German club to a place in the last 16.
PSG, who made it to the quarter-finals last season, take on Benfica, Anderlecht and Olympiakos in a Group C which appears to be within the
capabilities of Laurent Blanc's men.
The full draw:
Group A: Manchester United, Shakhtar Donetsk, Bayer Leverkusen and Real Sociedad
Group B: Real Madrid, Juventus, Galatasaray and Copenhagen
Group C: Benfica, Paris Saint-Germain, Olypiakos and Anderlecht
Group D: Bayern Munich, CSKA Moscow, Manchester City and Viktoria Plzen
Group E: Chelsea, Schalke, Basel and Steaua Bucharest
Group F: Arsenal, Olympique de Marseille, Borussia Dortmund and Napoli
Group G: Porto, Atletico Madrid, Zenith Saint Petersburg and Austria Vienna
Group H: Barcelona, AC Milan, Ajax and Celtic
EUROPA LEAGUE
Europa League dream fizzles out
Nice and Saint-Etienne both missed out on Europa League group stage places on Thursday night after failing to turn around first-leg
deficits against Apollon Limassol and Esbjerg respectively.
OGC Nice 1 - 0 Apollon Limassol (Limassol win 2-1 on aggregate)
Despite Dario Cvitanich's early strike with their first attack of the match, Nice couldn't manage to turn around their two-goal first-leg deficit against
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Apollo0n Limassol, the Cypriot side proving too tight at the back for Claude Puel's side to get the two more goals they needed for a place in the
Europa League group stage.
Argentine striker Cvitanich's early composure had Les Aiglons in the box seat as early as the fourth minute, Nampalys Mendy's header down leaving
last season's club top scorer to race through three defenders and blast past the visiting 'keeper.
Try as they might, however, a dominant Nice side couldn't make up the rest of the ground they had conceded in Cyprus last week, the dangerous
Valentin Eysseric coming close on three occasions (23', 47', 69') and Cvitanich missing a beautifully cued-up opportunity to send the game into
extra-time as he blasted Eysseric's cut-back wildly over (85').
AS Saint-Etienne 0 - 1 Esbjerg fB (Esbjerg win 5-3 on aggregate)
After the 4-3 defeat to Esbjerg in Denmark last week, Saint-Etienne needed just the one goal back in France to clinch a place in the group stage, but
faced with a feisty visiting side and lacking real cutting edge up front, it proved a bridge too far for Les Verts.
Confident of turning things around, Galtier's side came out swinging and Renaud Cohade had a golden opportunity to put his side in the driver's seat
as he tried an audacious lob in the second minute. However, his shot went narrowly wide and Les Verts were left to look for other solutions.
Franck Tabanou was in marauding form on the left flank and found the dangerous Romain Hamouma with a delightful cross, but the ex-Caen
midfielder saw his shot blocked by Esbjerg 'keeper Frederick Rönnow (24'), who turned in huge performance to again deny Hamouma (26', 42') and
then Bayal Sall (29').
Saint-Etienne were left to regret their missed chances as, with 18 minutes to go, Esbjerg's mounting pressure paid off when Bayal Sall, diving to clear
a cross and edged the ball past Stéphane Ruffier and in off the bottom of the cross-bar (72').
With score now 5-3 on aggregate, Les Verts needed two goals to proceed to the next stage of the competition, but when Brandao's lown angled shot
hit the post (85'), it was clear that it simply wasn't to be and that Galtier's men would have to turn their full focus to domestic duties rather than a place
in the Europa League group stage.
Galtier: 'Can't fault my players'
Saint-Etienne boss Christophe Galtier was proud of his players' commitment and Nice counterpart Claude Puel is turning his attention back
to Ligue 1 duties following Europa League eliminations on Thursday night.
Thursday, August 29, 2013
UEFA Europa League Play-offs, second leg
AS Saint-Etienne 0 - 1 Esbjerg fB (Esbjerg win 5-3 on aggregate)
Christophe Galtier (Saint-Etienne coach): "It's very disappointing not to continue with the Europa League adventure after all the hard work we put in to
have a shot at the group stage. So, our journey stops just before the groups against a side who deserved the qualification over the two matches. I
can't fault my players in terms of commitment for a European game. They gave their all. Their goal was a real kick in the head and things got very
tricky for us. You don't often get a chance to play in Europe, and I would have loved for us to play in the Europa League in front of our fans, who
deserve some big nights. But tonight wasn't a great night and my players are devastated."
Niels Frederiksen (Esbjerg coach): "I'm really very proud. It was really a great performance. Football-wise the game in Esbjerg was perhaps a little
better, but this time we showed real fight and discipline. It's fantastic. It's the biggest win in the players' career, and for me as well."
OGC Nice 1 - 0 Apollon Limassol (Limassol win 2-1 on aggregate)
Claude Puel (Nice coach): "It's a huge disappointment and massively frustrating. We were up to the challenge in terms of our investment in the match,
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Week 4
but we came up against opponents who had the maturity and talent. We had some chances but couldn't put them away and secure qualification. There
wasn't much lacking - a little bit of composure, lucidity and accuracy - because we moved the Cypriots out of position a lot. We're very disappointed
because it would have been great for my squad to experience some more European matches. Now we need to get back on track quickly for our
league duties."
Christakis Christoforou (Apollon Limassol coach): "We weathered the storm of Nice's attacks for 90 minutes, but our objective was to score a goal. I
encouraged my team at the break to stop dropping back. Nice were very tough opponents, but we believed right to the end. Over the two matches, we
deserve to have qualified. I congratulate my players and all the staff. This qualification is a huge success for us, notably in financial terms for a club
with a small budget like ours. I wish Nice all the best for the Ligue 1 season ahead."
LES BLEUS
Gignac gets France recall
André-Pierre Gignac heads a nine-strong contingent of Ligue 1 players named by coach Didier Deschamps for France's upcoming 2014
World Cup qualifiers in Georgia and Belarus.
The Olympique de Marseille forward, who has earned a recall after plundering three goals in as many league games this season, is in line to make his
first appearance for Les Bleus since his participation in France's ill-fated 2010 World Cup campaign in South Africa when his country takes on Georgia
and Belarus in 2014 World Cup qualifying next month.
"When I was his coach, we had a personal problem. But several months have gone by since then, we've spoken about it and I have no problem with
what happened. I don't have to pick players with whom I'm on good terms. There will be no problem with him," said Deschamps, who coached OM
between 2009 and 2012 prior to taking over from Laurent Blanc at the head of Les Bleus.
"Since last season, he's gotten back to a good level. During the call-ups in June, there were other players, but they're injured and DD has started well."
Full squad
Goalkeepers: Hugo Lloris (Tottenham Hotspur FC), Steve Mandanda (Olympique de Marseille), Mickaël Landreau (SC Bastia)
Defenders: Eric Abidal (AS Monaco FC), Mathieu Debuchy (Newcastle United FC, ENG) Gaël Clichy (Manchester City FC, ENG), Patrice Evra
(Manchester United FC, ENG), Laurent Koscielny (Arsenal FC, ENG), Bacary Sagna (Arsenal FC, ENG), Eliaquim Mangala (FC Porto, POR), Adil
Rami (Valencia CF, ESP),
Midfielders: Geoffrey Kondogbia (Sevilla FC, ESP), Etienne Capoue (Tottenham Hotspur FC, ENG), Franck Ribéry (Bayern Munich, GER), Joshua
Guilavogui (AS Saint-Etienne), Samir Nasri (Manchester City FC, ENG), Clément Grenier (Olympique Lyonnais), Blaise Matuidi (Paris Saint-Germain),
Paul Pogba (Juventus, ITA), Moussa Sissoko (Newcastle United FC, ENG)
Forwards: Karim Benzema (Real Madrid, ESP), Olivier Giroud (Arsenal FC, ENG), André-Pierre Gignac (Olympique de Marseille), Dimitri Payet
(Olympique de Marseille), Mathieu Valbuena (Olympique de Marseille)
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