On 22 October one of the matches of the 9th round of the French football championship took place. Nantes (France) and Montpellier (France) met.
French Championship, 9th round
Nantes (France) - Montpellier (France) - 2:0 ( 1:0)
Goals: Molle (44), Abdoul Kader Bamba (74).
Warnings: Mollet (64), Abdoul Kader Bamba (75)
Nantes emerged victorious in a thrilling Ligue 1 match against Montpellier at the Stade Beaujoire - Louis Fontenot. The score was 1-0 in favour of Nantes at half-time and they maintained their lead until the final whistle, finishing the match with an emphatic 2-0 win. The match started lively with both teams showing great attacking capabilities. Only in the 44th minute Nantes took the lead thanks to a goal by F. Mollet. This gave "Nantes" a much-needed advantage before the break. At the start of the second half both teams made a number of tactical changes in the squads. On 57 minutes "Nantes" introduced M. Ablin into the game, replacing Adson, and a minute later, instead of K. Bamba came M. Sissoko. "Montpellier" also made quick substitutions, trying to turn the tide of the match in their favour. In the 58th minute V. Khazri was replaced by K. Fayad, and A. Adam Fayad was replaced by M. Sissoko. Fayad, and A. Adams - for K. Yeboah. "Nantes" continued to dominate the game and in the 64th minute had another chance to increase their lead. Unfortunately, F. Mollet received a yellow card, which could have cost him dearly if he had not been attentive for the rest of the match. However, in the 74th minute, Nantes was in the goal again.
This time the goal was scored by K. Bamba, giving Nantes a comfortable two goal lead. Unfortunately for K. Bamba, he received a yellow card a minute later. In the closing stages of the game Montpellier tried to get back and changed the line-up again. I. Sylla, J. Ferry and T. Savanier came on as substitutes in the 78th minute, replacing respectively T. Saint-Luce, Y. Issoufou and L. Leroy. Nantes also made a change in the 79th minute, releasing M. Coco in place of R. Pierre-Gabriel. Near the end of the game, Nantes made one last substitution in the 90th minute, with K. Merlin replacing J. Hajam. In the last minutes of the game "Montpellier" received a yellow card - K. Kouyate saw his name in the referee's notebook. Despite their best efforts, Montpellier were unable to break through the Nantes defence and finished the match with a disappointing 2-0 defeat. Overall, it was a good contested match in which Nantes proved to be the stronger side. Clinical play and solid defence allowed Nantes to win all three points and further consolidate their position in the Ligue 1 standings. On the other hand, Montpellier will be looking to bounce back after the defeat and improve their results in the upcoming matches.
In the next round of matches await the rivals: Lance - Nantes, Montpellier - Toulouse.
| Nantes | Montpellier | |
|---|---|---|
| 5 | Kicks to the goal | 6 |
| 14 | Kicks | 10 |
| 2 | Blocked shots | 2 |
| 8 | Penalty kicks | 8 |
| 6 | Kicks from outside the penalty box | 2 |
| 14 | Offences | 11 |
| 4 | Corner | 3 |
| 1 | Offsides | 0 |
| 56% | Ball possession | 44% |
| 2 | Yellow cards | 0 |
| 0 | Red cards | 0 |
| 6 | Keeper saves | 3 |
| 577 | Total assists | 439 |
| 489 | Accurate assists | 352 |
| 85% | Accuracy of passes | 80% |