Bordeaux beaten by Strasbourg [0-2]

The Girondins de Bordeaux got their 2018-2019 Ligue 1 campaign off to an uneasy start at the Matmut ATLANTIQUE, losing a man in the 13th minute before ultimately losing to Strasbourg. Things started off calmly enough, with both teams taking their time to settle into the match and observe their opponents. Until the 13th minute that is, when Pablo's red card changed everything. When Benoît Costil scuffed a clearance, Ajorque pounced on the ball and looked to be through on goal. Pablo sacrificed himself with a desperate lunging challenge, earning a straight red which was hard to dispute. Gus Poyet was forced to make an early tactical reshuffle, switching Zaydou Youssouf for Paul Baysse as Bordeaux tried to come to terms with this sudden change of fortunes. Strasbourg were soon surging forward, looking to make that numerical advantage count. Thomasson almost opened the scoring, but somehow missed the target from 8 metres out (29'). He was back barely a minute later, but again his shot ran wide (30'). Bordeaux rallie din injury time, with two chances and a decent penalty shout from Milan Gajic. But it was not to be, and the scoreboard remained empty as the teams went off for half-time. The second half got off to a slow start, with the Girondins creating a few chances but failing to truly threaten. François Kamano had a good run in the 58th minute but couldn't make it count in the final third. The tipping point finally came in the 67th minute, when Ibrahima Sissoko put Strasbourg ahead from a corner (0-1). The fatigue of Bordeaux's Ukrainian adventures was beginning to show, and Paul Baysse picked up a yellow card for a late challenge. Strasbourg pushed hard to exploit the Girondins' tiredness, and Nuno Da Costa soon doubled their lead (0-2). Late appearances from Younousse Sankharé and Toma Basic (70') did nothing to change the run of play, and RC Strasbourg Alsace were worthy winners at the Matmut ATLANTIQUE. But there's no time to dwell on this upset: the Girondins will be back in action against Mariupol this Thursday in the Europa League.