Olivier Giroud scored a dramatic added-time winner on Sunday to give Lille a 1-0 victory over Monaco in a cagey Ligue 1 clash at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
The 38-year-old forward, signed this summer to help fill the void left by Jonathan David, made the difference in a game largely devoid of clear chances. Giroud received a pass from Matias Fernandez-Pardo on the penalty spot, turned sharply with his back to goal and lashed his shot past Monaco goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky in the 91st minute.
It was Giroud’s second goal in as many games for Lille, following his early strike in a 3-3 draw at Brest last weekend.
There was still time for late drama. Lille missed the chance to seal the win when Giroud fired a penalty over the bar after a quick counter-attack. Monaco nearly punished them when striker Mika Biereth volleyed over from close range in the dying seconds.
Rennes implode with two red cards in four minutes
Earlier in the day, Rennes suffered a nightmare start away to Lorient, having two players sent off within the first ten minutes and falling to a heavy 4-0 defeat.
Mahdi Camara, making his debut after a summer move from Saint-Étienne, was dismissed just four minutes into the match for catching Dermane Karim in the head with a high boot.
Six minutes later, Christopher Wooh brought down Aiyegun Tosin as the last defender and also received a straight red. Rennes played 80 minutes with nine men and eventually crumbled.
“Unfortunately, both red cards were deserved,” said Rennes coach Habib Beye. “Last year we didn’t have enough aggression, now we have too much.”
Opta reported that no Ligue 1 side had suffered two red cards so quickly from the start of a match since its records began in 1992.
Lorient finally broke Rennes’ resistance in first-half stoppage time through Sambou Soumano. Tosin added a second shortly after the break before further goals from Pablo Pagis and Théo Le Bris completed the rout.
Rennes’ problems started even before kick-off. Mikayil Faye missed last week’s season opener after oversleeping. With Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal suspended and Przemyslaw Frankowski injured, Beye had planned to use Mousa Al-Tamari at wing-back, but the Jordanian was dropped after arriving late for a team meeting.
The defeat followed a chaotic week in French football after Rennes’ 1-0 win over Marseille led to a post-match brawl in the visitors’ dressing room. Marseille star Adrien Rabiot and winger Jonathan Rowe were both placed on the transfer list. Rowe departed for Serie A side Bologna on Sunday.
Elsewhere in Ligue 1
Toulouse and Strasbourg maintained their perfect starts to the season.
Cameroon forward Frank Magri struck twice in the second half as Toulouse beat Brest 2-0. Strasbourg captain Emanuel Emegha came off the bench to score in the 81st minute and seal a 1-0 win over Nantes.