Jean-Pierre Thiesset summarises the fifth round of the 2023-2024 D1 Arkema season and continues his Matildas Watch! (24/10/23).
Above: Clare Hunt (15) in action for Paris St. Germain at Lille at the weekend. Photo: L. Pastel/PSG.
Montpellier 1-1 Fleury
In an opening quarter where the ball went back and forth a lot, the first true opportunity was in the twelfth minute for Montpellier with a Sh’nia Gordan kept out at the corner by Chloé N’Gazi. N’Gazi would also keep out a Marion Torrent shot on 34 minutes, but not before Marie Levasseur showed her skills in preventing Fleury scoring on 28 minutes.
Levasseur’s good performance continued into the second half, especially with another great defensive tackle on the hour, and some dangerous runs in attack. Both keepers were kept very busy in a second half with many chances but, unfortunately for Montpellier, who deserved to win, there was a late penalty for Fleury for a foul by Charlotte Bilbaut on Batcheba Louis. Marine Dafeur converted it to equalise deep in injury time. Scorer for Montpellier: Robert (52’). Scorer for Fleury: Dafeur (90’+5 Penalty).
Lille 0-4 Paris Saint-Germain
With 70% of possession, Paris SG easily won this game. Marie-Antoinette Katoto opened the score in the twelfth minute in her first game back as a starter. Scorers for Paris St. Germain: Katoto (12’), Chawinga (25’), Baltimore (45’+1), Vangsgaard (90’+2).
MATILDAS WATCH – Clare Hunt (Paris Saint-Germain) Hunt played in PSG’s winning side, making several crucial interventions.
Saint-Etienne 1-2 Le Havre
A predictable win for Le Havre who were a lot stronger in the second half even if the game was equal in the first. It was Saint-Etienne who opened the score at the end of the first quarter. In second half, the good coaching of Le Havre’s Romain Djoubri, smartly used his bench with the entrance of Inès Benyahia and Zoé Stiévenart and of Chancelle Effa Effa at the hour. They made the difference against a tiring Saint-Etienne side. It was worth noting the good performance of Nadjma Ali Nadjim with both a goal (69’) and an assist for Chancelle Effa Effa (76’). Scorers for Saint-Etienne: Browne (15’). Scorers for Le Havre: Ali Nadjim (69’), Effa Effa (76’).
Guingamp 1-0 Bordeaux
A very even match game in which Aïssata Traoré made a decisive pass to Leïla Peneau, who scored from 25 meters with a great shot, for the only goal of the match before receiving a red card. Scorers for Guingamp: Peneau (62’).
Dijon 0-6 Paris FC
Dijon could do nothing to prevent Paris FC opening the scoring early – in the fifth minute,They had a few opportunities but lacked potency and on a mess in front of the goal, Daphne Corboz collected the ball and put it in the nets for Paris’s second on the half hour. Dijon almost scored at the end of first half but Chiamaka Nnadozie, Paris FC goalkeeper, made a great save, deviating a shot under the crossbar in the corner. Daphne Corboz (who played only for forty five minutes) and Gaëtane Thiney have both one goal and an assist for Paris FC. Scorers for Paris FC: Bourdieu (5’), Corboz (30’), Thiney (36’), Dufour (38’), Le Mouël (54’), Ribadeira (79’).
MATILDAS WATCH – Sarah Hunter (Paris FC) For the second time this week, Sarah Hunter was in the group for the game against Dijon. This time, entering at halftime, she played the whole second half as right sided midfielder. Hunter made a good performance for her first time on the pitch with her new teammates.
Reims 1-5 Olympique Lyonnais
Sonia Bompastor, Lyon’s coach, let Ellie Carpenter (Australia) and Christiane Endler (Chile) depart the team earlier this week to join their national squads, thus missing the trip to Reims. Wendie Renard was on the bench as she was slightly injured last game. Reims squad started with a 5-4-1 which became two lines of five players while defending; “double bus” as we say in France. As expected, Lyon dominated the game from the start. Melchie Dumornay struck the post from twenty-five metres out in the fourteenth minute before Kinga Szemil saved from Lindsey Horan a few minutes later. Alice Sombath did finally open the scoring with a shot from distance in the twentieth minute – her first goal in D1 Arkema.
On a counterattack on 28 minutes, Reims equalised through Rofiat Imuran as she pushed in a ball cleared to her feet by Laura Benkarth. Just before halftime, Lyon took the lead back through Eugénie Le Sommer who scored with a header after a perfect cross by Selma Bacha. Three minutes later, Dumornay scored from another cross – this time from Kadidiatou Diani. Later, a great one-two between Lindsey Horan and Ada Hegerberg set up Horan to score with a cross-shot on 87 minutes. This was a very one-sided encounter with almost 70% of possession for Lyon during the whole game. Scorers for Reims: Imuran (28’). Scorers for Lyon: Sombath (20’), Le Sommer (43’), Dumornay (45’+1), Horan (87’), Majri (90’).
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