Bad start for Bordeaux and Saint Etienne in Ligue 1, Marseille reacts to shock resignation

Bordeaux and Saint Etienne on Sunday both suffered shock Ligue 1 defeats in their opening matches of the season as Marseille reeled from the surprise departure of coach Marcelo Bielsa. Meanwhile, last season’s runners-up Lyon were held to a goalless draw by Lorient.

REUTERS/Philippe Laurenson

Reims grabbed a dramatic 88th minute winner against Willy Sagnol’s Bordeaux. Bordeaux were 10 minutes from victory before Nicolas De Preville cancelled out Wahbi Khazri’s opening goal and Jordan Siebatcheu scored the winner.

“Two terrible defensive errors” cost Bordeaux the points, said Sagnol, in comments cited by the AFP news agency. “I saw a team who were flat, who didn’t want to get forward and who didn’t have the desire.”

In Toulouse, Saint-Etienne went ahead in the 17th minute with a goal from Loic Perrin. However, the home side turned things around with Martin Braithwaite levelling the match and striker Wissam Ben Yedder putting Toulouse in front eight minutes into the second half.

Lyon came up against fierce opposition in their game against Lorient. Inspired goalkeeping from Lorient’s Benjamin Lecomte denied Lyon time and time again. In a worrying development for Lyon their star striker Alexandre Lacazette was brought off in the second half with what seemed to be a back problem.

Marseille and former coach Marcelo Bielsa traded barbs over the Argentine’s shock resignation. A statement from Marseille on Sunday said that the French club would not “surrender to the rule of one man.”

“I am, like all the supporters, dazed by Marcelo Bielsa’s shock decision,” said Marseille president Vincent Labrune, according to the AFP news agency.

Labrune confirmed that one of Bielsa’s assistants, Franck Passi, would step into Bielsa’s shoes as caretaker manager ahead of a permanent replacement.

In his shock resignation after Saturday’s 1-0 defeat against Caen, Bielsa said he could not accept the “situation of instability” at Marseille. The Argentine coach, who helped Chile reach the quarterfinals at the 2010 World Cup, said he had reached an agreement on a contract extension and was waiting to sign.

“What’s happened comes with your authority,” said Bielsa, in what appeared to be a direct attack at Labrune. “I think you know what’s gone on.”