It has been a protracted look ahead to Stephy Mavidi and Montpellier.
After greater than a yr with out discovering the online, the English striker scored two objectives over the weekend, hitting type once more on the proper time — simply earlier than chief Paris Saint-Germain’s go to on Wednesday.
Before Sunday’s 2-0 win at Auxerre, Montpellier and Mavididi had been in full doubt mode following a run of 4 straight losses in all competitions.
Amid rising anger from followers who displayed insulting banners an threw flares onto the sector to drive a match to be stopped for a number of minutes two weeks in the past, the 2012 French champions had dropped near the relegation zone. And Mavididi was desperately searching for his first purpose since final Jan. 23, when the previous England under-20 participant scored a superbly-taken winner in stoppage time towards Monaco.
After that scintillating evening, the whole lot went downhill for the previous Arsenal academy participant. Mavididi injured his knee throughout coaching, maintaining him sidelined for a few months, after which tore a muscle in his left thigh on the opening day of the present season in August.
The 24-year-old Mavididi — who joined the southern crew throughout the 2020 offseason — solely got here again in October and has performed simply 10 league matches thus far in Montpellier’s lackluster marketing campaign.
His scoring drought ended within the 62nd minute in Auxerre when he collected a lofted cross on the sting of the field, dribbled previous a defender and concluded the transfer with a strong strike below the bar. Mavididi’s second purpose got here 10 minutes from time on the finish of a counterattack.
“It had been a while, but I always kept on working,” Mavididi mentioned after transferring three objectives behind Glenn Hoddle’s file of 27 objectives for the English participant with essentially the most objectives within the French league.
Montpellier struggled for lengthy spells at Auxerre and Mavididi’s scientific effectivity made up for his crew’s defensive inadequacies that also should be mounted by coach Romain Pitau.
“We all congratulated him because we did not have much chances, maybe just two and we converted them,” mentioned goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte, who returned to Montpellier this month to assist his former teammates keep within the high division.
Lecomte, who had been enjoying on mortgage at Espanyol from Monaco, had a profitable stint in Montpellier from 2017-19, incomes worldwide calls from France coach Didier Deschamps. He was introduced again as a alternative for Jonas Omlin, who left for German membership Borussia Mönchengladbach.
Club officers hope that Lecomte will restore the defensive stability the crew lacks, having conceded 40 objectives in 20 matches this season. In his eightieth match in a Montpellier shirt, Lecomte was already decisive, stopping a penalty within the closing levels.
“It’s only one step, we need to carry on,” Pitau mentioned after his gamers managed a primary clear sheet this yr to maneuver as much as 14th place within the standings, 5 factors above the hazard zone.
Keeping one other one at residence towards PSG’s attacking armada may show too tough, though the Qatari-backed facet has been struggling for the reason that flip of the yr. PSG has gained solely certainly one of its final 4 league video games, shedding two, and coach Christophe Galtier acknowledged there’s a downside.
“We did not propose anything in the first half, we lacked rhythm and intensity, and the players made a lot of technical mistakes,” he mentioned after PSG was held to 1-1 draw by Reims on Sunday.
Starting with the Montpellier sport, PSG will play seven matches in February, together with main checks towards Bayern Munich within the Champions League and rival Marseille in a home doubleheader.
In different matches Wednesday, second-place Lens hosts Nice and third-place Marseille travels to Nantes.
