02/01/26 05:24:00
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02/01 17:22 CST Paris Saint-Germain reclaims top spot. Nartey scores for Lyon
on Ligue 1 debut
Paris Saint-Germain reclaims top spot. Nartey scores for Lyon on Ligue 1 debut
PARIS (AP) --- Midfielder Noah Nartey made an immediate impact at his new club
by scoring Sunday on his Ligue 1 debut to lead Lyon to a 10th consecutive win
across all competitions, and Paris Saint-Germain won 2-1 at Strasbourg to
reclaim top spot despite playing the last 15 minutes with 10 men.
Lyon beat Lille 1-0 in a match of few chances for both teams. Nartay netted the
decisive goal in the 37th minute and Lyon climbed to fourth, level on points
with third-place Marseille.
PSG faced strong opposition and returned to first place after Nuno Mendes
headed home the winner in the 81st as Strasbourg failed to capitalize on its
numerical advantage. PSG goalkeeper Matvey Safonov saved a penalty in the first
half.
Defending champion PSG holds a two-point lead over Lens, with Marseille and
Lyon nine points adrift.
Mendes' goal from Warren Zare-Emery's cross came only a few minutes after
Achraf Hakimi was sent off for a reckless challenge on Joaqun Panichelli.
In an enthralling first half, Strasbourg had the chance to take the lead in the
19th minute from the penalty spot. But Safonov, a spot-kick specialist who was
preferred to Lucas Chevalier in goal for the second match in a row, dived to
deny Panichelli.
PSG broke the deadlock following a defensive mistake from Mamadou Sarr in the
22nd minute. The Strasbourg captain failed to clear the ball inside the box and
instead fired it straight at Bradley Barcola. It fell to Senny Mayulu, who
scored with a left-footed strike.
The hosts drew level five minutes later through a goal from Gula Dou, with
his brother Dsir Dou --- who plays for PSG --- watching from the visitors'
bench.
The goal came at the conclusion of a move ignited by a brilliant pass from
Panichelli that released Ben Chilwell on the left. The former Chelsea player
then crossed into the middle for Dou to slot home.
"It was a very difficult match against a very difficult opponent," Safonov
said. "We were a bit lucky at the end of the game, it's true. It was a nervy
ending."
It was a first league defeat for Strasbourg coach Gary O'Neil, who had been
unbeaten since replacing Liam Rosenior following his fellow Englishman's
departure to Premier League club Chelsea.
Nartay shines
The 20-year-old Danish player signed a five-year contract with Lyon last month,
joining from Brondby.
Lille dominated the first half and Nartay showed his solid defensive skills. He
then displayed his composure to send a low shot between the legs of the Lille
goalkeeper. That capped a fine move by Ruben Kluivert, who had rushed down the
the left flank then set up his teammate with a precise cut-back pass at the
penalty spot.
"I'm proud of the team, we worked hard," Kluivert said. "Lille was good, but we
were better."
Nartay's goal extended Lille's losing streak to a fourth consecutive Ligue 1
match, with Bruno Gnsio's team in fifth place, seven points behind Lyon.
More misery for Metz
Last-placed Metz slumped to a 14th defeat in 20 league matches this season,
losing 1-0 at Angers. Metz's task was made harder early on when Jean-Philippe
Gbamin was sent off after slipping on the ball and stamping on the ankle of
Haris Belkebla. Angers took advantage of the situation and Louis Mouton scored
the decisive goal in the 25th minute with a precise finish.
Auxerre moved one point above Metz after a 0-0 draw at Toulouse, and Nice
fought back from two goals down at home to draw 2-2 with Brest thanks to
second-half goals from Ali Abdi and Elye Wahi.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
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