Girondins come unstuck at home [0-2]

Bordeaux started out with the best of attacking intentions, determined to get a result in front of their home crowd. In the 3rd minute of play Valentin Vada had the first shot of the match from the edge of the box. The Argentinean's strike flew just wide of Lecomte's right post. In the 11th minute, Youssouf Sabaly put in a cross which Nicolas De Préville headed over the bar. A few minites later, Valentin Vada hit another one over the bar from a free kick (15’). Bordeaux had the better chances, but the midfield battle was evenly-matched. The Girondins seemed happy to keep the ball on the ground and move it around, searching for the gap in the visitors' defensive armour. But Montpellier remained solid and well-organised at the back. The pace picked up slightly as half-time approached, but the Girondins were unable to make their possession count. It was still Bordeaux 0-0 Montpellier at the break. Montpellier changed things up in the second half, attacking with a new sense of purpose. Sambia came close from a free-kick, which Jérôme Prior was forced to punch away (59’). The visitors were now dominating possession. With an hour on the clock, Jocelyn Gourvennec decided it was time for a change. The young Ervin Taha took to the field in place of François Kamano (61’), and had one of Bordeaux's increasingly rare shots on goal in the 66th minute. The strike was on target, but Lecomte had it covered. A few minutes later, Sio unleashed a powerful long shot which beat Prior but bounced back off the crossbar (69’). The break finally came in the 72nd minute courtesy of Ikoné. The striker popped up in the penalty area and slammed the ball into the roof of the net. 1-0 to Montpellier. The Girondins kept looking for a way back into this match, with Youssouf Sabaly particularly active on his wing. But Montpellier kept it tight in defence, and had the better attacking chances too. Sambia came close to doubling their lead in the 90th minute, before last-minute sub Mbenza snatched a goal in injury time (2-0). On a crisp evening at the Matmut ATLANTIQUE, Bordeaux were beaten 2-0 by a pragmatic Montpellier side.