PARIS — Nice midfielder Mathieu Bodmer tormented his former club by scoring the winner in a 1-0 win over previously-unbeaten Lille and defending champion Paris Saint-Germain kickstarted its French league campaign with a first away win on Wednesday.
Known for his great technique, Bodmer lived up to his reputation when he opened the scoring in the 41st with a clever glancing header from Valentin Eysseric’s corner.
Lille, which conceded only its second goal in seven matches this season, left Paris Saint-Germain as the only unbeaten team after its 2-0 win at Caen.
After failing to hold onto its lead in three consecutive draws in all competitions, PSG picked its first away win with goals from Lucas and Marquinhos to move within three points of leader Marseille, which strolled to a 5-0 win at Reims on Tuesday.
Playing without the injured Zlatan Ibrahimovic, PSG sustained an early setback when Ezequiel Lavezzi was forced off the pitch after nine minutes with an apparent groin injury that could rule him out of the Champions League match against Barcelona next week.
But Laurent Blanc’s team, led by superb performances by Lucas and Edinson Cavani, looked unfazed as the former put PSG ahead in the 18th after beating two players and slotting home with a powerful shot.
Caen had a good chance to level after halftime — only for Mathieu Duhamel to miss the target with a header at the far post.
Playing in his preferred central striking role in the absence of Ibrahimovic, Cavani did not score but tired Caen defenders with his relentless dribbles before Marquinhos, left alone in the area, headed home Jean-Christophe Bahebeck’s corner to seal the win.
As so often this season, Lille sat deep in its own half and handed possession to the hosts, but Rene Girard’s team was unable to launch its usual counterattacks in a lacklustre display.
It was Lille’s first away loss in nine matches since a defeat at Nice in February.
"We were less than zero, we did not deserve anything," Lille coach Rene Girard said. "I did not need to shout in the dressing room, my players are old enough to know what went wrong."
Elsewhere, Lyon continued its recovery with a 4-0 thrashing of Lorient and substitute Valere Germain scored in added time to give Monaco a 1-0 win at Montpellier.
Last-place Evian secured its first win by beating Lens 2-1 courtesy of goals from Daniel Wass and Jonathan Mensah.
Following its 1-1 draw at PSG, Lyon continued its good form as striker Alexandre Lacazette and Cameroon forward Clinton N’Jie put on a brilliant attacking display.
Lacazette scored his fourth goal of the season with a low shot from the edge of the box after combining well with N’Jie before Nabil Fekir slotted home following a one-two with Christophe Jallet.
N’Jie dummied goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte before tapping the ball into an empty net in the 50th and Fekir completed his brace from close range.
Monaco improved on some disappointing performances earlier this season and dominated for long stretches before snatching a third consecutive win in all competitions in the last minute of added time.
Making the most of a defensive lapse by Montpellier, Germain found himself unmarked in the box and connected with Layvin Kurzawa’s pass to coolly beat goalkeeper Geoffrey Jourdren.
Gaetan Bussmann’s first goal since April gave Metz a second consecutive win with a 1-0 victory at Guingamp, while Bastia was held to a goalless draw by Nantes.