Monaco nightmare continues against Metz new boys

(Reuters) - Monaco’s nightmare start to the Ligue 1 season continued with a 3-0 defeat at newly-promoted Metz on Saturday, leaving them at the bottom of the table and yet to score a goal.

Title contenders Lille, meanwhile, suffered a shock 1-0 loss away to Amiens and Andre Villas-Boas’s Marseille were held to a goalless stalemate by Nantes.

Leonardo Jardim’s Monaco avoided relegation by just three points last season and have begun the new campaign in terrible form.

They lost their opening game against Lyon, also by 3-0, last Saturday and had Cesc Fabregas sent off. The Metz encounter at the Stade Saint-Symphorien proved an action replay as Ruben Aguilar saw red for a rash first-half tackle after Habib Diallo had opened the scoring for the hosts from the penalty spot.

Diallo notched his second after the break before Renaud Cohade’s low strike secured a memorable victory for last season’s Ligue 2 champions.

Lille, runners-up in 2018/19, were also made to pay for ill-discipline at Amiens as Boubakary Soumare was shown a straight red card after 40 minutes, which the hosts punished through Sehrou Guirassy’s winner midway through the second half.

In the early kick-off, Marseille striker Dario Benedetto missed a first-half penalty in a 0-0 draw with Nantes, prolonging Villas-Boas’s wait for his first win as manager.

Patrick Vieira’s Nice joined Lyon at the top of the table on maximum points after a 2-1 victory away to Nimes, while former Arsenal captain Laurent Koscielny made his Bordeaux debut in a 1-1 home draw with Montpellier and Jean-Victor Makengo’s goal gave Toulouse a 1-0 win over Dijon.

Reigning champions Paris St Germain are in action away to Rennes on Sunday after Saint-Etienne host Brest and Reims take on Strasbourg.

(Reporting by Alasdair Mackenzie; editing by Tony Lawrence)