Monaco won 1-0 at Metz despite going down to 10 men early in the second half, with Benoit Badiashile scoring the winner emphatically from a set piece in their Ligue 1 clash at the Stade Saint-Symphorien yesterday.
Badiashile pounced on a loose ball in the box from a free kick in the first half to volley home the winner and Monaco held on despite having Youssouf Fofana sent off in the first minute of the second half for a second bookable offence.
Nantes were reduced to nine men as they beat Nimes 2-1 with two first-half goals but their defence was severely tested when goalscorer Imran Louza was shown a straight red in the 47th minute.
Their left back Fabio was then also dismissed late on for a second yellow card offence.
Nimes had nine shots on target, with Zinedine Ferhat reducing the deficit 12 minutes after the restart, but Nantes goalkeeper Alban Lafont made eight saves to ensure his team secured all three points.
Meanwhile, Lille came away from Reims with a 1-0 win when winger Jonathan Bamba let fly with a strike from the edge of the box that beat goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic and crept in at the near post.
St Etienne beat Lorient 2-0 thanks to a double from Romain Hamouma with Arnaud Nordin assisting both goals while Girondins de Bordeaux also won 2-0 at Angers with first-half goals scored just two minutes apart by Josh Maja and Toma Basic.
Nice remain top of the standings with two wins from two while defending champions Paris St Germain are yet to start their campaign after losing the Champions League final last weekend.
Brest were scheduled to host Olympique de Marseille later yesterday.


Dolberg delights as Nice beat Strasbourg
Striker Kasper Dolberg netted twice as Nice won 2-0 at Strasbourg to grab the early-season lead in Ligue 1 late on Saturday.
Nice, who had six players booked during the encounter, top the table with six points after two games.
Paris Saint-Germain will begin their bid for an eighth Ligue 1 title in nine years on September 10 after being granted an extended break to recover from last Sunday’s Champions League final, in which they were beaten by Bayern Munich.
Denmark’s Dolberg broke the deadlock with a 37th-minute penalty after Lamine Kone brought down Eddy Sylvestre, and the 22-year-old added a delightful lob in the second half to complete the scoring. Dolberg was also one of six Nice players who were shown a yellow card. Kone and Alexander Djiku from Strasbourg were also booked.


RESULTS
 * Reims 0 Lille 1 (Bamba 32)
* Angers 0 Bordeaux 2 (Maja 25, Basic 27)
* Metz 0 Monaco 1 (Badiashile 22)
* Nantes 2 (Girotto 11, Louza 27-pen) Nimes 1 (Ferhat 57)
* Saint-Etienne 2 (Hamouma 19, 51) Lorient 0