Paris, with the late-summer Ligue 1 table beginning to take shape, saw Liam Rosenior’s Paris FC continue an unbeaten start that has quickly altered the mood around the Jean Bouin. A 2-1 victory over Strasbourg, the English coach’s former club, lifted Paris FC provisionally into third place after five matches.
The news from the club
Paris FC have collected 11 points from their opening five league games without defeat. The win carried particular tension for Rosenior, whose relationship with Strasbourg supporters has remained strained since his departure in January.
Rosenior left Strasbourg to replace Enzo Maresca at Chelsea, another club owned by the BlueCo consortium. His spell at Stamford Bridge ended in April, before the close of the season, and he subsequently took charge of Paris FC.
The Strasbourg match was interrupted for five minutes after a section of the visiting support directed insults at Rosenior’s mother. In the final stages, the stadium announcer appealed to the away fans to stop the hostile chants.
After the final whistle, Rosenior celebrated in front of the travelling Strasbourg section, beating his chest and spreading his arms. The gesture prompted a brief confrontation on the pitch, with players from both sides involved in pushing.
Rosenior later said the issue concerned only part of Strasbourg’s following, stressing that he still holds the club in high regard.
“It was a small section of the supporters, and I want to underline that because Strasbourg is a fantastic club,” he said. “They insulted my family and my bench was very angry. Celebrating like that was clearly meant to send a message. I will not say any more about it.”
Lyon move into the chase
Elsewhere in the round, Lyon handed Rennes their first defeat of the campaign with a 4-0 win. Lyon remain unbeaten and moved provisionally into second, level on points with Paris FC and two behind leaders Monaco.
That fixture also came to a halt, with play stopped for 13 minutes after around half an hour because of an offensive banner aimed at Saint-Étienne, Lyon’s historic rivals, who are now in Ligue 2.
Lyon coach Paulo Fonseca and his players went to speak with the supporters in the north stand during the interruption. Both teams briefly returned to the dressing rooms before the match resumed, and Lyon went on to secure an emphatic result.
