Monaco ascended to the summit of the Ligue 1 standings on Saturday, securing a 2-1 triumph over Rennes away from home. This victory propelled them three points ahead of defending champions Paris Saint-Germain.
Thilo Kehrer and Folarin Balogun found the back of the net for the principality side, propelling them to 19 points. PSG, currently on 16 points with a superior goal difference, will have the opportunity to reclaim the top spot when they face Nice on Sunday.
“After seven games, we have 19 points. That’s the reality and the truth, and we’re really happy about that,” remarked Monaco coach Adi Huetter.
However, he cautioned, “The championship is not a 100-meter sprint, it’s a 400-meter race, and we’ve started very well.”
Monaco’s match in Brittany, played under rainy conditions, was decided early in the first half. Kehrer opened the scoring before Ludovic Blas equalized, and Balogun then netted the winner, all within the first 22 minutes.
Monaco youngster Eliesse Ben Seghir, continuing his impressive start to the season, played a pivotal role in both of his side’s goals. His corner in the sixth minute found Kehrer’s head, who nodded it past the goalkeeper despite a defender’s attempt to clear it off the line.
Blas restored parity for Rennes five minutes later with a thunderous left-footed strike from over 35 yards that flew past Philipp Koehn.
However, Balogun sealed the points for Huetter’s side when he chipped the ball over an advancing Steve Mandanda in the 22nd minute after a defense-splitting pass from Ben Seghir.
Earlier on Saturday, Lille moved up to fourth place, coming from behind to secure a home victory against lowly Toulouse. Zakaria Aboukhlal gave the 16th-placed side a surprise lead six minutes before halftime, but former Manchester United playmaker Angel Gomes equalized for Lille on 57 minutes. Mitchel Bakker secured the win for Lille in the 72nd minute, rounding off a swift counter-attack.
A hat-trick from Zuriko Davitashvili propelled Saint-Etienne out of the relegation zone as they defeated Auxerre 3-1 at home. The Georgian opened the scoring in the 15th minute with a powerful finish after carrying the ball 40 yards into the visitors’ penalty area. He added his second on 54 minutes after cutting in from the left flank and firing with his right foot. Theo Bair halved the deficit with 15 minutes remaining, but Davitashvili completed his triple with a dinked finish on 87 minutes.
On Sunday, Lyon will host Nantes, while Reims and Lens will also be in action, before PSG travel to ninth-placed Nice.
