Under the lights of a busy French Saturday, Monaco let a two-goal lead slip at the Stade Louis-II, Paris FC finally fell at Lorient, and Brest turned frustration into a five-goal statement against Angers.
Key takeaways
- Ligue 1 leaders Monaco drew 2-2 with Toulouse after leading by two goals, but remain unbeaten with four wins and two draws.
- Matthis Abline scored his first Monaco goal, while Casper Tengstedt struck again for Toulouse and set up the equaliser.
- Paris FC lost 1-0 at Lorient, ending an unbeaten opening of three victories and two draws.
- Brest answered successive defeats with a commanding 5-1 home win over Angers.
- Jordan Lefort was sent off for Angers after VAR upgraded his booking to a red card.
Monaco lose control as Toulouse fight back
Monaco appeared to be moving serenely towards another win after a composed first half against Toulouse. Edan Diop opened the scoring in the 30th minute, powering in a header, before Abline produced the standout moment eight minutes later. The forward, scoring for the first time in Monaco colours, finished a superb move to make it 2-0.
The match changed sharply after the interval. Monaco conceded a needless penalty in the opening stages of the second half, allowing Danish striker Casper Tengstedt to reduce the deficit from the spot in the 48th minute. It was Tengstedt’s fourth goal across his last four matches.
Toulouse had found greater energy after introducing Sion Oppong at half-time, and the substitute completed the recovery in the 59th minute. Tengstedt supplied an excellent delivery and Oppong met it with a fine right-foot volley.
Monaco finished with Folarin Balogun and Ansu Fati on the pitch but could not restore their advantage. It was their first stumble of the campaign, although their unbeaten record remains intact. Paris Saint-Germain, fifth in the table after a 3-1 win over Le Mans, are now only three points behind the leaders.
Lorient and Brest deliver decisive home wins
At Lorient, Paris FC were caught in a tight, chance-poor contest and suffered their first league defeat of the season. The critical sequence arrived on 62 minutes, when Lorient goalkeeper Yvon Mvogo made a serious error in possession and handed Lassine Sinayoko a clear opportunity. Mvogo recovered brilliantly, however, denying the Paris FC forward and keeping the score level.
Alexandre Dujeux’s compact, aggressive 3-4-2-1 then proved too disciplined for Liam Rosenior’s 4-2-3-1. Lorient broke through shortly after Gabin Bernardeau entered in the 66th minute. The summer arrival from Nice scored his first Ligue 1 goal with a measured left-foot finish from Jean-Victor Makengo’s cut-back.
The closing stages were scrappy, but Lorient protected the 1-0 result. It was their second win of the season, their first at home, and lifted them to eighth. Paris FC remain fourth despite their first loss.
Brest, beaten by PSG on 13 September and Auxerre on 20 September, produced a fierce response against Angers at the Stade Francis-Le Blé. Ludovic Ajorque began the rout after nine minutes, diving to head in Hugo Magnetti’s excellent cross. Lucas Tousart added a second from Joris Chotard’s corner eight minutes later.
Kenny Lala converted a 30th-minute penalty after Ousmane Camara fouled Kamory Doumbia, and Mama Baldé made it 4-0 before the break with a sharp right-foot finish following a fine combination.
Angers briefly offered resistance when Prosper Peter headed in Joseph Kalulu’s cross two minutes into the second half. Brest replied immediately enough: in the 54th minute, Ajorque diverted the ball into Pathé Mboup’s path and Mboup drove a right-foot effort into the top corner.
Any remaining uncertainty disappeared when Angers defender Jordan Lefort was dismissed in the 59th minute. Referee Mr Wattellier initially showed yellow for Lefort’s dangerous stamp on Baldé’s ankle, then changed it to red after a VAR review. Julien Lachuer’s Brest saw out the final half-hour comfortably, giving their home crowd a resounding 5-1 win.
