Nantes and PSG Deliver; Sochaux Pay for Europe’s Fine Margins
Two French wins in Europe, including PSG’s four-goal dispatch, leave Sochaux with the week’s only defeat.
“A win is a win; four is a rather louder one.” France’s European week brought two victories and one defeat, with Paris Saint-Germain making the biggest noise and FC Nantes taking a useful first step in the Champions League.
Nantes beat Vitesse 1-0 on Tuesday in the first leg of their last-16 tie. The second leg is at FC Nantes on 12 March, leaving Les Canaris with a narrow advantage and the more agreeable job of defending it at home. Their European campaign continues to offer a different sort of pressure from the domestic grind; after last week’s late win over Marseille, the Canaries have found another way to leave a game with something to protect.
Sochaux had less to celebrate on Wednesday, losing 1-0 at home to Borussia Dortmund in the other French Champions League tie. The second leg is at Borussia Dortmund on 11 March. It is a steep-looking task, though a one-goal deficit is not yet a verdict. Davy Joachim-Rouyard and Tomás Samios, both former Nantes players now at Sochaux, could hardly have wished for a happier European evening with their old club than the one Nantes enjoyed. They did not get it.
In Ligue 1 Uber Eats, they are fifth with 41 points from 18 matches. That leaves Paris firmly in the domestic hunt, though the leading clubs have not yet been caught.
So: Nantes in front, Sochaux chasing, PSG in the mix. France’s return was a good one, if not quite a clean sweep. Europe, as ever, declines to be impressed by anyone’s reputation.