Czech midfielder scores twice for Lyon
Midfielder Pavel Šulc kept his scoring run going with two goals as fifth-placed Lyon won at struggling Monaco 3-1 in Ligue 1. Šulc is one of the best signings this season in French soccer and took his tally to 11 goals in 23 games since joining from unheralded Czech club Jablonec in the offseason. “He’s a different kind of player,” Lyon coach Paulo Fonseca said. “He’s not amazing technically but he’s very efficient, he works very hard for the team and the ball seems to be drawn to him.”
Šulc netted from close range in the first half and arrowed in a fine strike from the edge of the penalty area in the 57th minute to put Lyon back ahead, after Mamadou Coulibaly equalised in first-half stoppage time.
Brazilian defender Abner Vinicius made it 3-1 late on as mid-table Monaco lost for the sixth time in seven league games. Monaco goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky went off injured early on after taking a blow to the knee following a challenge with Šulc and was replaced by Philipp Köhn. Lyon’s opening goal came in the 35th minute when Corentin Tolisso’s corner from the left was headed on by Nicolas Tagliafico and Šulc kneed the ball in from one meter out.
Monaco equalised when Lyon’s defense failed to deal with a long pass toward forward Folarin Balogun and Coulibaly profited. Coulibaly was shown a straight red card in the 70th for a dangerous high tackle on Tagliafico’s chest.
Lille drops points: Lille missed the chance to move into third spot when it lost at home to sixth-placed Rennes 2-0. Lille defender Alexsandro was sent off in the 13th for impeding striker Breel Embolo on the right side of the area. Winger Przemyslaw Frankowski and defender Quentin Merlin scored for Rennes in the second half.
Debut goal earns draw: Loan signing Elye Wahi scored on debut under new coach Claude Puel as Nice drew with Strasbourg 1-1. Puel replaced Franck Haise amid high tensions at Nice, which recently ended a nine-game losing run with a French Cup win but is without a victory in Ligue 1 since October 29. Wahi has endured a torrid time since joining Eintracht Frankfurt from Marseille last season.
The livewire striker has not scored a Bundesliga goal for the German club yet took only eight minutes to find the net for Nice with a clinical finish in the 54th. Argentine striker Joaquín Panichelli put the visitors ahead from the penalty spot in the 13th.
Chelsea link: Strasbourg coach Liam Rosenior is being widely linked with the vacant Chelsea job after Enzo Maresca’s sudden departure on New Year’s Day. Rosenior is in his second season at Strasbourg, which has been owned by Chelsea’s ownership group, BlueCo, since 2023.
Lens riding high: Lens won at Toulouse 3-0 on Friday to ensure keeping top spot from Paris Saint-Germain. On Sunday, second-placed PSG hosts lowly Paris FC in the first capital city derby in the French men’s league since 1990.
