Beauvue thwarts old club Guingamp, Troyes hold Nice
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| AFP |
Hubert Fournier's men were frustrated in a goalless draw at home to Lorient in their opener last week, but they put that right thanks to new signing Beauvue, who hit 17 league goals for Guingamp last term.
The Guadeloupe international striker, who scored for the Brittany-based club in a 3-1 defeat against Lyon in this fixture last season, struck the only goal after 79 minutes to condemn Guingamp to a second straight defeat of the new season. Lyon now have four points from two games.
Nice threw away a two-goal lead at ten-man Troyes to draw 3-3 in a pulsating game at the Stade de l'Aube. Claude Puel's men also blew a lead against Monaco in their opening 2-1 loss last weekend, and this latest setback will feel like a defeat after appearing in control.
Newly-promoted Troyes got off to a flying start in front of their home fans thanks to Corentin Jean's third-minute opener. But Nice responded as former Lyon, Marseille and Newcastle winger Hatem Ben Arfa levelled from the penalty spot minutes later.
Alassane Plea turned the game around for the visitors after 16 minutes before the hosts were reduced to ten men after Chris Mavinga's second yellow card on the half hour. Maxime Le Marchand scored Nice's third before the break and there appeared no way back for Troyes.
Fabien Camus halved the deficit after 77 minutes before Thiago Xavier struck a dramatic leveller in stoppage time to salvage an unlikely draw for last year's Ligue 2 champions.
Normandy side Caen continued their perfect start with another 1-0 success, this time at home to Toulouse. Patrice Garande's men stunned Marseille at the Stade Velodrome on the opening weekend -- a result which prompted Marcelo Bielsa's resignation -- and they got the better of visiting Toulouse thanks to a wonderful 69th-minute header from Damien Da Silva. Serbia defender Uros Spajic was red carded late on to compound the visitors' misery.
Montpellier's dismal early season form continued as they suffered their second straight defeat, going down 1-0 at Rennes following an 86th-minute winner from Polish international winger Kamil Grosicki.
Meanwhile, former eight-time French champions Nantes and Angers, who are back in the top flight after a 21-year absence, played out a 0-0 draw. The result moves both sides on to four points with neither club having conceded a goal in their opening two matches.
Bordeaux score late to deny Saint-Etienne
Earlier on Saturday, a stoppage-time free-kick by stand-in captain Henri Saivet gave Bordeaux a 1-1 draw with Saint-Etienne at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard in the early Ligue 1 game.
Beaten 2-1 at Toulouse in their opening league match last weekend, Saint-Etienne looked set for all three points when Fabien Lemoine set up Romain Hamouma for a low finish across stand-in Bordeaux goalkeeper Jerome Prior and in on 58 minutes.
However, they had taken the lead in Toulouse before conceding twice from direct free-kicks and it was a dead ball that did for Les Verts again this time.
The match was in stoppage time when the visitors won a free-kick in a central position 20 yards out, and the wall opened up to let Senegal international Saivet's low shot through to ensure a share of the points.
On Sunday, Marseille go to Reims in their first game since the shock resignation of coach Marcelo Bielsa, while champions Paris Saint-Germain are at home to newly-promoted Corsican minnows Gazelec Ajaccio.
On Friday, Monaco warmed up for their UEFA Champions League play-off first leg against Valencia by drawing 0-0 at home to Lille.