PARIS, Sept 22, 2019 (BSS/AFP) – Former Ajax striker Kasper Dolberg scored
his first goal for billionaire-backed Nice as they moved level on points with
Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain with a 2-1 win over Dijon on Saturday.
Dolberg, 21, who left the Champions League semi-finalists over the summer,
brought his side level after Julio Tavares’ opener for the visitors, who are
yet to win this season.
African Cup of Nations champion Youcef Atal then scored the second-half
winner for Patrick Vieira’s side, who were brought by British petrochemical
businessman and owner of Ineos, Jim Ratcliffe in August.
“It’s good that he (Dolberg) scored. It will do him a lot of good,” Vieira
said.
“It’s always better to be high up than lower down. But there is a lot of
work in front of us.”
The victory means Nice join champions PSG on 12 points but the Parisians
sit at the top of the table on goal difference before they travel to Lyon in
Sunday’s headline tie of the weekend.
Earlier on Saturday, Valere Germain’s second goal in as many games
salvaged a 1-1 draw for Marseille against Montpellier in a fiery encounter
that saw three players sent off in a stoppage time bust-up.
– Card chaos –
The match ended in chaos when Boubacar Kamara and Jordan Ferri were shown
red cards for their part in a late scuffle before Dimitri Payet was given his
marching orders for losing his temper with referee Amaury Delerue after being
booked for a trip on Montpellier’s Vitorino Hilton.
“Dim (Payet) said something to the referee who was very incisive with his
red, but for Kamara, it’s unacceptable,” Villas-Boas said.
“We’re going to appeal Bouba’s one, he told me he did nothing.
“The game didn’t deserve to finish like that, I don’t know what happened
with the referee for him to lose his head like that and give a red instead of
a yellow,” Villas-Boas added.
The visitors claimed the lead after 17 minutes from a right-wing cross,
Florent Mollet’s whipping low across the face of goal aimed for Andy Delort
but Bouna Sarr’s interception ended up in the back of his own net in greasy
conditions.
The hosts drew level with a quarter of an hour remaining.
Payet found Nemanja Radonjic on the left wing who crossed for Germain
inside the box.
Goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli went the wrong way and Germain added his second
in the campaign after netting against Monaco last week and the points means
Villas-Boas’ outfit sit in third place in the table.
Elsewhere Monaco are still looking for their first win of the campaign
after dour goalless draw at Reims. Brazilian Pablo’s 70th minute header
claimed a 2-2 draw for Bordeaux against Brest leaving Pablo Sousa’s side in
sixth place.