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5 things we learned in Ligue 1 this weekend: Red-hot Gazelec Ajaccio does it again

PASCAL POCHARD-CASABIANCA / AFP / Getty

With another weekend of Ligue 1 action in the books, we take a look back at five things we learned from the latest slate of matches.

Following the horrific attacks in Paris and neighbouring Saint Denis on Friday the 13th, Ligue 1 honoured those affected with tributes from both supporters and players, with sport emblematic of a nation's desire to return to normalcy.

Gazelec Ajaccio is an indomitable force

Ligue 1 darling Gazelec Ajaccio has done it again, this time beating Bastia 2-1 in the Corsica derby on Sunday to win their fourth-consecutive league match.

Khalid Boutaib's 70th-minute deflected effort was the difference Sunday.

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Sitting precariously in the bottom three for the entirety of the opening third of the season, what was once a pipe dream has become a reality, with the Ligue 1 new boys appearing poised to survive their first brush with top-flight football.

Quite the turnaround for the Corsican minnows who had only three points after their first 10 league fixtures, pairing three draws with seven losses as they were outscored 15 to 4 over that stretch. Gazelec had to wait until their sixth match, a 2-1 away loss to Guingamp, to register their first goal as matters were dire at Stade Ange Casanova before the four-match unbeaten run that vaulted them above Bastia and Lille into 16th place.

Montpellier's resurgence continues

Montpellier continued their Ligue 1 resurgence with a comprehensive 3-1 victory over Reims on Saturday at the Stade de la Mosson courtesy of goals from Mustapha Yatabare, Souleymane Camara, and Bryan Dabo.

Camara's 69th minute goal against the run of play gave the home side a commanding 2-1 advantage.

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The win stretches the south coast side's unbeaten run to five matches, as the vital three points vaulted them above Reims and into 14th place amidst a log-jam of lower-half clubs flirting with relegation. Montpellier, Reims, and volcani-hot Gazelec Ajaccio all sit on 15 points, one clear of Lille and Bastia, with the latter languishing perilously in 18th.

Following a dismal spell that witnessed Roland Courbis' men lose seven of their first 10 league matches, coupled with two draws and a lone win against Lorient, La Paillade has won three of their last five while scoring as many goals (eight) during that spell as they did through their first 11 league matches.

Lille name Herve Renard's replacement

Treading water recklessly close to the relegation zone and hampered by a series of underwhelming offensive performances, Lille fired Herve Renard a fortnight ago before naming Frederic Antonetti his replacement on Sunday.

(Courtesy: @losclive)

The former St. Etienne, Nice, and Rennes gaffer joins a north east club desperate for an injection of hope having won only two of their opening 14 fixtures. While the nine goals against is tied for second-best in Ligue 1 with Angers, the eight goals for is second-worst only to bottom-dwellers Troyes.

Antonetti's job is simple: Keep Lille up, and don't let star youngster Sofiane Boufal leave during the January window no matter who expresses an interest in the 22-year-old midfielder.

Moukandjo and Batshuayi cannot be stopped

Two of Ligue 1's breakout stars, Lorient's Benjamin Moukandjo, 27, and Marseille's Ligue 1 Player of the Month Michy Batshuayi, 22, continue to draw the interest of Europe's marquee clubs based on a string of stellar results.

Batshuayi (Marseille) vs. St. Etienne:

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Moukandjo (Lorient) vs. Paris Saint-Germain:

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Both Moukandjo and Batshuayi scored on the weekend, with the Cameroonian international scoring his league-leading tenth. Belgian international Batshuayi scored his ninth, tied for second in the league with Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

Expect the two strikers to be in demand come transfer time.

Goals of the Week

An unusually slow week for standout goals in France's top-flight paired with an inordinate number of headed goals means there is only one entry in this installment of Goals of the Week.

This week's honour goes to Rennes forward Kamil Grosicki's sublime 75th minute curling effort that eluded Bordeaux shot-stopper Cedric Carrasso.

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A la prochaine, mes amis.

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