Disciplined Caen continue surprising grip on second in Ligue 1

Caen held AS Monaco to a 1-1 draw in Ligue 1 on Wednesday night, with the team - only promoted last season - continuing their runners-up pace in France.

Caen's Ronny Rodelin celebrates after scoring in their 1-1 Ligue 1 draw against AS Monaco on Wednesday night. Valery Hache / AFP / December 2, 2015

AS Monaco missed an opportunity to edge closer towards the Champions League places on Wednesday after they were held to a 1-1 draw at home to second-placed Caen in Ligue 1.

Argentine striker Guido Carrillo scored his first goal in the French top flight following his summer arrival from Estudiantes with a thumping 56th-minute header at the Stade Louis II.

But Caen cointinued to maintain their surprise hold on second behind Paris Saint-Germain as Ronny Rodelin levelled four minutes from time. The gap between runaway leaders PSG and the rest of the pack remained 13 points.

“As always, it’s important to score for a striker. But the most important thing is the overall result and we’re disappointed,” said Carrillo, who ended an 857-minute wait to open his Ligue 1 account.

Caen goalkeeper Remy Vercoutre praised his team’s resolve as the Lower Normandy outfit, whose lone European appearance was in the 1992/93 Uefa Cup, picked up a creditable point in the principality.

“It’s a good point to take here after falling behind. It’s always difficult to find your rhythm at this ground but it shows our discipline, which is good,” said Vercoutre.

Saint-Etienne saw their chance of cracking the top three pass them by after they were beaten 1-0 at Lille, a result that still left the home side a point from safety.

Yassine Benzia’s spectacular volley on the hour mark handed Lille their first win in seven attempts as new manager Frederic Antonetti marked his first home match in charge with three welcome points.

Earlier, top-flight newcomers Gazelec Ajaccio continued on their remarkable upward path with a 2-0 victory at in-form Montpellier.

Goals from Jacques Zoua and John Tshibumbu guided the islanders to a fifth win in six matches and up to 13th place.

Thierry Laurey’s side have now picked up 16 points from a possible 18, this after collecting just three points from their first 10 matches.

Bastia piled further misery on fellow strugglers Bordeaux as Florian Raspentino’s late strike condemned Willy Sagnol’s side to a 1-0 defeat in Corsica.

David Ngog netted a double as Reims beat Guingamp 2-1 to put an end to their seven-game winless run, while Toulouse claimed a second straight victory as they eased past winless Troyes 3-0 in a battle of the league’s bottom two.

On Tuesday, PSG saw their nine-match winning streak snapped as they played out a 0-0 draw at third-placed Angers, the first time Laurent Blanc’s men had failed to score in the league this season.

Marseille round out the midweek fixtures on Thursday when they visit Rennes.

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