Championnat

A weekly North American review of French Football. Ligue 1, Champions League, and UEFA Cup action.

Sunday, December 24, 2006

Week of December 18 - 25

SCORES

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Ligue 1

December 22

Marseille 2-1 St. Etienne

December 23

Sochaux 2-1 Nancy
Troyes 1-1 PSG
Lyon 0-0 Monaco
Bordeaux 1-0 Le Mans
Lille 1-1 Auxerre
Lorient 0-0 Rennes
Nice 1-2 Lens
Toulouse 0-4 Nantes
Valenciennes 2-1 Sedan

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A rare Friday match comes just before the Christmas Break, with Marseille playing
host to St. Etienne in the last matchweek before mid-January. Marseille had another
goalless game last week against AS Nancy, and were in the rumour mill as a possible
club to be hiring the services of former England manager Sven-Goran Eriksson. St.
Etienne, a healthy 3rd in the table, could conceivably leapfrog Lens into second with a win here. Fortunately for Lens it was not to be St. Etienne’s day. Liverpool
loan-man Djibril Cisse scored early in the match to take the home side into the lead. St. Etienne were able to equalize just before halftime on a strike by Marek Heinz, but Marseille finished them off in the 64th minute when Mickael Pagis blasted one in. Marseille move up to 5th on the day, but unless their form continues to improve they won’t be there long, as there are many other teams vying for the top spots.

There were two early contests on Saturday, and 9 matches to be played across the
country due to Sunday being Christmas Eve. Sochaux vs. Nancy, a battle of the 5th and 6th place teams, was one of these. These teams had opposing fortunes in the week
prior, with Sochaux being hammered by Monaco, and Nancy beating Marseille handily.
Sochaux’ home record of 4-2-2 was only slightly better than their away record, as the Stade Bonal has been less of a fortress than they might have hoped. Nancy scored
first on a goal from Sebastien Puygrenier in the 11th minute. Following a scrappy
midfield battle, Sochaux were finally able to capitalize when high scoring Karim
Ziani tied things up in the 62nd minute. Luck was on Sochaux' side when Ziani was
awarded a penalty three minutes later to wrap things up for the hosts. Sochaux move
up into 3rd with the win.

Troyes, knocked back down into 18th last week, was the venue into which PSG had to
continue salvaging their train-wreck of a season, and battle their way up that table. Troyes, with a win, could knock PSG down into the feared relegation places. PSG’s draw against Nice last week was not what they could have wanted, and nothing was going their way. Troyes, drawing with Rennes, was a point that they would not have scorned going to Brittany. Fitting then, that this fixture would end in another disappointing draw. Both sides were able to Amara Diane and Georges Ba scored for
their respective clubs, but the result keeps Troyes in 18th and PSG moves down a spot into 16th and continue to fall.

It was a battle of two offensively minded teams when Monaco visited the Stade
Gerland looking to topple the champions. Monaco has come from a dismal start to
battle hard every game, dropping only one result of the past 5. Goal-scoring has not
been a problem for the side either, beating Sochaux 3-0 last week. Lyon had another
goal outburst last week as well, beating Lens 4-0. Unbelievable then, that this one
was to end in a nil-nil draw. Monaco's Flavio Roma had an inspiring night in net,
quashing the Lyon attack, and despite few chances of thier own, Monaco were more than happy to come away with a point. The draw marks only the third time that Lyon have dropped points this season, but still sees them 15 points up on 2nd place Lens.

Bordeaux and Le Mans met up Saturday evening with Le Mans looking to improve their fortunes and possibly leapfrog a Bordeaux team that has to concentrate on their
domestic form after dropping out of the UEFA Champions League. Bordeaux’ 0-0 draw
with Nantes last week was a poor result against a much weaker side, and they have not scored a domestic goal since November 25th. Le Mans, beating Toulouse 2-0 last week, were feeling like their fortunes were improving. The match was showed consistent pressure from the hopme side until Bordeaux defender Gerald Cid was finally able to pop in a goal 61 minutes in. Bordeaux now sit in 8th, and Le Mans moves down into 10th.

The Stadium Lille-Metropole saw a visit from Auxerre, and after the shock result
last week that saw Sedan beating Lille 2-0, the home side would want to show solidly
mid-table Auxerre that they deserved to be in the 4th table position. Jacques
Santini’s men have had a lot of trouble getting results of late, with a point here
and there not being enough to make their case for any sort of position. In 14 shots
on goal, Lille were finally able to score with the help of substitute Souleymane
Youla. The hosts had little time to celebrate, however, as Auxerre's Kanga Akale came back to tie the match 4 minutes later. The match remained a stalemate, and Lille dropped to 5th on the day, while Auxerre kept their 13th place position.

Rennes travelled an hour-and-a-half to the west to play out a Bretagne derby in
Lorient. The teams are divided by only 1 point in the standings, and sit in 10th and 12th. Last weekend Rennes played out a frustrating draw with Troyes in front of the home fans, and their neighbors were narrowly beaten by Auxerre. This one proved to be somewhat of a dreary snooze as neither team had anything in the way of a good chance, and ended up nil-nil. Both teams were able to improve their positions, however, with Rennes sitting in 9th and Lorient in 11th.

Nice had a home fixture against Lens, with the teams sitting at opposite ends of
the table. Nice needed points to stay about the relegation zone, and Lens needed to
keep pace with Lyon, if sitting 17 points behind can be called keeping pace. Lens
were thoroughly trounced by Lyon at their home ground last week, and Nice held PSG to another poor goalless draw. The teams kept things scrappy throughout, but it was Nice who drew first blood, with Bakari Koné outpacing the Lens defenders to score early on. Nice looked the more comfortable side, and enjoyed their lead until the 74th minute, when Lens' Viera was awarded a penalty just after they had been reduced to ten men. Nice's day darkened some more when Aruna Dindane scored 4 minutes later to give the visitors the lead. THings went from bad to worse for Nice, as Cedric Verrault was sent off as time was expiring, dimming hopes of a comeback. This one Ended 2-1, and Lens keep pace in 2nd.

Nantes have been the masters of the draw over the past few weeks, with 3 draws in
their last five. They knew that in order to get out of their terrible bottom-feeding
table positon, only three points would do against Toulouse. Toulouse have not been
riding high of late either, coming off losses to Lens and Le Mans over the last
couple weeks, and Nantes looked like easy pickings. Nantes also confirmed the signing of Fabien Barthez over the week, and hoped that a higher-profile keeper could help with results. THough Barthez was not in the Lineup this week, Nantes were able to come up with an unbelievable result against a generally stronger team. Not only did Nantes shut Toulouse out, they popped in 4 emphatic goals. Nantes moved themselves out of the relegation zone for the first time in a long time with the victory, and know they need to keep it up if they want to stay in this league.

Valenciennes vs. Sedan was hardly a marquee match, but Sedan surprised everybody
last week by beating Lille in a thrilling match in front of their fans at home.
Valenciennes have fared little better, with only 18 points out of their campaign and
falling. The home side thought they had things wrapped up early when Steve Savidan scored on a penalty 13 minutes in. The next goal came a few minutes later when Rudy Mater made it 2-0. Sedan were hard pressed to get anything going all match, but were able to get one 20 minutes from time when Striker Joseph-Desire Job did his Job and made it 2-1. That was all Sedan could muster though, and they remain in the basement.

Monday, December 18, 2006

Week of December 11 - 18

SCORES

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UEFA Cup

December 13

Blackburn Rovers 1-0 Nancy
PSG 0-4 Panathinaikos

December 14

Auxerre 0-1 Livorno
Heerenveen 1-0 Lens

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December 16

Nancy 2-0 Marseille
Le Mans 2-0 Toulouse
Monaco 3-0 Sochaux
Nantes 0-0 Bordeaux
Rennes 1-1 Troyes
Sedan 2-0 Lille
St. Etienne 3-0 Valenciennes

December 17

PSG 0-0 Nice
Auxerre 2-1 Lorient
Lens 0-4 Lyon

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On Wednesday Nancy made the trip across the channel to the north of England to meet up with Blackburn Rovers on the last day of UEFA Cup group stages. The two teams had both qualified for the next round with their current record, but a win from either side would place that team at the top of the group. It was a story of missed chances and great saves, especially by Blackburn keeper Brad Friedel. To their credit, Nancy kept up the pressure for the entire match, but third-string keeper Johan Lapeyre just didn’t have enough to stop Lucas Neill’s injury-time goal, to give the home side the 1-0 win. Blackburn top the group while Nancy finish in second.

Troubled PSG, in a horrible run of form and coming off a loss to Lyon on the weekend, hosted Greek side Panathinaikos at the Parc Des Princes. The match was a must-win for PSG, and even then it would not have guaranteed them a spot in the round of 32. Panathinaikos had qualifed already, and a such had nothing to play for but pride and a guaranteed top spot in the group. PSG had been struggling in all competitions even before the violence and racism surrounding the club came to a head with their postponed match with Toulouse two weeks ago. Fortunately for PSG, this was to be their day, as the Greeks, already qualified in first, didn’t seem to care what happened in this match. Braces by both Pedro Pauleta and Bonaventure Kalou and an unwillingness to care by Panathinaikos gave PSG the 4-0 win. The scoreline gives PSG the second place in the group, just ahead of Hapoel Tel Aviv on goal difference.

Auxerre’s match against Livorno was one that they needed to Win or Tie to move on the the next round, as their grip on third place in the group was tenuous at best. Their emphatic 4-1 win against Partizan Belgrade in the last matchweek was a big boost, but they needed another big result this week. The hosts were looking to win in the first half, with a few shots on goal, some hitting the woodwork, but it was not to be. In the 59th minute, Livorno’s Cristiano Lucarelli scored a headed goal off a corner. Auxerre, needing only a draw, pressed hard, but could not beat keeper Marco Amelia. The loss takes Auxerre out of the tournament, and Livorno advances in the third position.

Lens travelled to Holland to play Heerenveen, who had no choice but to win this match and then rely on other matches to even possibly get through. Lens had a slim chance of not going through with a loss, but a draw or win would take them through. Lens’ form of late has been outstanding domestically, but their European campaign had been a little more shaky, as their record of 1-1-1 was poorer than they would have liked. This one was in danger of playing out to a nil-nil draw, but as time expired Heerenveen’s Alfonso Alves scored off of a stunning free kick to give the home side the win. Nonetheless, Lens squeak through on goal difference, and Heerenveen drop out of Europe.

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Nancy’s second match of the week was played out in from of the home fans. Marseille came to visit, having won against Monaco the week before, and hoping the return of Djibril Cisse would continue to help them out of their run of mediocre form. Nancy’s last domestic fixture was a boring and disappointing draw with Nice that they should have gotten three points out of. This one was much more fast-paced though, to be sure. Both teams made valiant efforts in the first half, but it was Nancy who drew first blood. Benjamin Gavanon scored in the 43rd minute to give the home side the lead. A Marseille goalkeeping error followed by a poor defending job gave Kim a chance to make it 2-0, a chance which was pounced upon and converted. Despite a number of good chances and a furious pace, Marseille were unable to make anything happen, and they fell again.

Toulouse travelled to Le Mans with neither team posting much in the way of a result last week. Toulouse lost to on-form Lens, and Le Mans drew nil-nil with Nantes. Both teams seemed resigned to a mid-table finish, as results have been hard to come by, especially for Le Mans. That statement would not ring true today however, as Le Mans were the team with all the chances. Marko Basa scored a goal half an hour in, and completely dominated the pace of the game until Romaric Koffi got their second and final goal at 77 minutes to end this one at 2-0. Le Mans leapfrog Toulouse into 9th place.

Monaco were disappointed with their trip to Marseille last week, losing in the late stages and ending their run of good form. Sochaux’s visit to Monte Carlo would be a chance for them to get back on their feet and continue to battle for a spot above relegation at the end of the season. Sochaux played a scoreless draw at Valenciennes last week, and though they sat in 4th place, certainly needed to boost their goal differential. On the day, however, it was the Monaco of recent weeks that came out to play, despite Sochaux’ best efforts. Jerko Leko opened the scoring a mere 5 minutes in, beating Teddy Richert at the far post. After a spell where it looked like the visitors might get a break, Monaco began applaying a constant and deadly pressure, and they were rewarded again with goals from Jeremy Menex and big Yaya Toure. The healthy win ends Sochaux’ 9 game unbeaten streak, and Monaco move up to 13th, a long way from their bottom-table standing of the early season.

Nantes came into Saturday’s match in 19th place, and needing to get something going fast. Manager George Eo thinks that former France keeper Fabien Barthez may be the answer to their problems, as current keeper Vladimir Stojkovic has been struggling to find his form all season. The chances of them getting Barthez are good, as he hasn’t had work since the World Cup, and could have a couple good years left. Bordeaux came into the match thinking that they could get a result, and after dropping all the points to Rennes last week they needed to get rolling for a change to make the European places. Though Bordeaux were the better team on the day, Nantes kept a solid presence and were able to shut out the Girondins. Unfortunately for Les Canaris they could not manage a goal themselves. The draw keeps Nantes firmly in Relegation territory, and Bordeaux stay in 8th.

Rennes had Troyes visit Orient Road Saturday afternoon on a terrific run of form. Losing only one of the last 5, Rennes are beginning to pick things up after a disastrous start to their season. Troyes seemed like a rollover result since the only match they’ve won since October has been against the only team lower than them in the table, Sedan. Troyes seemd eager to surprise and prove the detractors wrong however, with a goal from David Gigliotti coming only 6 minutes in. Rennes never looked like a team that would roll over with the result though, and after a multitude of chances, Jimmy Briand finally got his third of the season at 72 minutes. That was all the home side had in them though, settling for a 1-1 draw. The result keeps Rennes at 10th, and Troyes got the point they needed to move up into 17th.

Sedan, sitting at the bottom in 20th, were certainly not favoured to win against Champions League surprise story LOSC Lille. Sedan’s record of 1-9-7 was telling, and the newly-promoted side have shown that they haven’t got what it takes to play with the big boys yet. Lille, on the other hand, sit in third, but can’t afford to drop any points in what is sure to be a close race for European spots come the spring. Sedan decided they had nothing to lose in this one, however, shocking the visitors by scoring twice in the first half, a mere 6 minutes apart. Gregory Pujol and Nicolas Marin were the men of the hour, and though Lille had a few chances, a Sedan team with lots of heart were able to hold them to a 2-0 scoreline for the rest of the match. Lille drop to 4th, and Sedan pick up their second win of the campaign.

St. Etienne was at home to Valenciennes, and their 2-2 draw with Lille last week was a good result, as they couldn’t afford to drop all the points. St. Etienne had been slowly creeping up, and with a few good results could challenge for a top spot. Valenciennes’ draw with Sochaux last week sees them only one point up on PSG in 14th. St. Etienne came out firing on all cylinders, but looked ready to pounce at any second, but had to wait until Brazilian striker Aruajo Ilan beat Nicolas Penneteau in the 31st minute to take the lead. Valenciennes were never able to get much going in the way of pressure, and St. Etienne took full advantage of them, netting two more in the closing 10 minutes to make the final score 3-0. With the Lille loss to Sedan, St. Etienne now sit in third just behind Lens, while Valenciennes drop down to 15th.

One of the few teams sitting lower than PSG is Nice, who had the pleasure of coming north to Paris for a match early Sunday. Sitting only two points back of the Parisian club, Nice could concievably leapfrog them into 15th, and putting PSG that much closer to the danger zone. PSG also came in tired from their midweek match against the Greek side Panathinaikos. That emphatic result midweek raised the expectations for a big game at the weekend, but it was not to be. It was a tale of missed chances as both teams played serious defensive football, and Nice keeper Hugo Lloris made some marvelous saves, and in the end it remained a scoreless draw. Both teams keep their current table standings, 15th and 17th.

Midtable, Lorient met Auxerre in a match that had little implications on the shape of the League. Auxerre sat 4 points back of Lorient, and have been in mediocre form having been concentrating on their European campaign. Newly promoted Lorient have made the case for staying up, sitting in 11th, tied with Bretagne neighbors Rennes. It was Lorient who got things started on a goal from André-Pierre Gignac at the 14 minute mark, but an Auxerre team with a newfound focus got one back 8 minutes later at the hands of Kanga Akale. Ireneusz Jelen ended off the scoring right after halftime to give the home side the 2-1 win, and Auxerre move up to 13th.

Arguably the biggest match of the week was the fixture between Lyon and Lens. Lens’ home record has been outstanding this year, and they looked like the only team who could challenge Lyon for the title. As such, this match was a must-win for the Northerners. Lyon were more rested, having had no midweek European matches, and their emphatic win over bitter rivals PSG last week at home only strengthened their case for the title. This day would not belong to the home side, however, as Lyon took it upon themselves to score from all over the pitch, spreading the goals out and giving themselves a 17 point cushion over Lens, their nearest rivals. 2 free kick goals by Juninho, in addition to goals from Florent Malouda and Cris assured Lyon of victory, as they assaulted Lens 4-0.

Sunday, December 10, 2006

Week of December 4 - 11

SCORES

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UEFA Champions League

December 5

PSV Eindhoven 1-3 Bordeaux

December 6

Lyon 1-1 Steaua Bucharest
AC Milan 0-2 Lille

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Ligue 1

December 9

Toulouse 0-1 Lens
Bordeaux 1-2 Rennes
Lorient 2-0 Sedan
Marseille 2-1 Monaco
Nantes 0-0 Le Mans
Nice 0-0 Nancy
Troyes 3-3 Auxerre
Valenciennes 0-0 Sochaux

December 10

Lille 2-2 St. Etienne
Lyon 3-1 PSG

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In midweek Champions League action, Bordeaux travelled to the Philips Stadion in Eindhoven knowing that pride was the only thing on the line, as they had already been relegated to UEFA Cup action in the past matchweek. Neither team needed a result, but it was Bordeaux who struck first 7 minutes in on a Julien Faubert goal brilliantly fed to him by Darcheville. Not 20 minutes later Bordeaux struck again to make the scoreline 2-0. Jean-Claude Darcheville got one more before the half to send the visitors into the dressing room on a big high. The Dutch side were able to pull one back on a goal from Alex in the 87th minute, but the three goals were more than enough to give the Girondins the win.

Lyon hosted Steaua Bucharest in a match they didn’t need to win, but certainly didn’t want to lose to keep their Champions League winning streak intact. The Romanians had put up a valiant effort against the big clubs in the group, but were more than dominated by the high scoring efforts of Lyon and Madrid, though with their efforts against Dynamo Kiev they were able to get enough points to secure themselves a UEFA Cup spot. Lyon conceded their first goal at home only 2 minutes into the match, as Steaua’s Nicolae Dica scored for the visitors. Determined to keep their unbeaten streak alive, Lyon countered 10 minutes later, as Alou Diarra struck for the home side to take things level. The two sides played to a dull draw as their places had already been assured, and Lyon moves into the round of 16, continuing their unbeaten record.

Lille faced a dramatic match at the San Siro that had must-win all over it for both teams. Lille needed the win to net them any sort of chance of advancing. AC Milan needed the win, even though they have already qualified for the next round. AC Milan had been in dreadful form in all competitions prior to this match, and sold tickets for this one at 1 Euro a pop. Lille certainly came to Milan with a big hope of getting a big result. Fortunately for Lille, this was their day. AC Milan could muster little in the way of offence, and a subdued home crowd of 30,000 was on hand to watch their undoing. Lille’s Peter Odemwingie scored 7 minutes in to show the Italians they meant business, and although Milan came up with a few good chances in the second half, Lille’s Abdul Kader Keita came through on the counterattack to score their second in the 67th minute. Lille’s players held their breath at the end of the match however, to find out the result of the AEK Athens-Anderlecht match. That match ended 2-2, which ruined AEK’s chances of advancing, and Lille were able to sneak through to the round of 16. The French side made history by being the first French club to beat AC Milan at home.

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Early Saturday, Lens travelled to Toulouse to try and bolster their already healthy goal differential against the 9th place club. Lens knew they couldn’t afford to slip up, as there were three other clubs in line to take their second place spot. Toulouse came off a 1-0 win against Rennes two weeks ago, but saw their match the week before postponed due to safety concerns in Paris. Lens came out flying, and it was all Toulouse could do to keep the visitors from scoring, with multitudes of chances coming Lens’ way. Finally, in injury time, striker Issam Jomaa made up for hitting the woodwork twice during the match to net his second goal of the season. It was not to be Toulouse’s day, and Lens close the gap on Lyon to 11 points ahead of Lyon’s Sunday match.

Bordeaux hosted Rennes in a match that saw Bordeaux coming off a big 3-0 loss to Lens in the league the week before, and with their midweek draw in Holland, they were a little tired on the pitch. Rennes had had a week to rest and had also popped in two goals against Nantes last week to get them the three points. Sylvain Marveaux opened the scoring for Rennes only 11 minutes in, converting a Jimmy Briand cross to net his third of the season. Rennes had to wait until the second half to extend their lead, and did so with the help of striker John Utaka. Prolific Bordeaux striker Jean-Claude Darcheville got one back for the home side in the 69th minute to give them a little hope. Unfortunately it was not enough, and the match ended 1-2.

Lorient have been flagging of late, and wanted to change that up as bottom-feeding Sedan came to the Brittany coast for a visit. Both teams were coming off losses last weekend, but Lorient had the advantage in all respects. The home side dominated the first half, scoring two in three minutes, while Sedan were struggling to find their feet. It turns out that that is all that Lorient needed to secure the three points, and with this result Sedan clearly seem to have booked their place on the flight down to Ligue 2.

It was a tale of two fortunes as Marseille hosted Monaco at the Stade Vélodrome Saturday. Monaco had a wonderful result last week as they scored three goals and kept a clean sheet against Valenciennes. Marseille lost to Sochaux, and continue to tumble down the rankings. Marseille’s Mikael Pagis started off the scoring in the 38th minute, but when the teams got back on the pitch after halftime, it was Monaco who came out and drew things up. Marseille, desperate for points, pressed hard and got their result after Mamadou Diang scored to make it 2-1 for the beleaguered home side. Diang was ably assisted by the returning Djibril Cisse, who had been injured since before the World Cup with a broken leg. 2-1 is how the match ended, finally giving the home side something to get excited about.

Nantes unequivocally needed to get three points in their draw against Le Mans. Nantes sat in 19th on the day, and had come off a loss to Rennes a week ago. In fact, Nantes had not tasted victory since October 28th when Monaco came to visit them. Le Mans were floudering mid-table, but even though they lost to Lyon last week, they were able to keep the French champions to one goal on the day. Both teams might have wanted a better result than the nil-nil draw they played to though, giving the home fans only a point to get excited about, but in the case of this sleeper, there was little to cheer for.

Nice were only able to manage a draw against Auxerre last week, and their overall form has been quite poor as they sit in 17th place. Nancy sat in 6th place coming into this match, 4 points behind 2nd place and 18 behind league leaders Lyon. Nancy have had a few big losses handed to them of late, and they wanted to show that they could at least make it up into the European places again. Unfortunately for both sides the midfield was where this one played out, and the teams played to a scoreless draw, keeping Nice in the unenviable position of near-relegation, and Nancy continue to falter after their great start to the season.

Troyes continue to slip up but were looking to change that against Auxerre at home. A win could conceivably take Troyes out of the basement, depending on Nice’s result against Nancy. Auxerre sit in 13th and are doing better recently in their UEFA Cup bid than domestically. The goal-fest began in the 19th minute when Troyes’ Yann Lachauer popped in his second of the year, followed by David Gigliotti to make it 2-0 for the hosts at halftime. Auxerre came back with one after the break when Ireneusz Jelen scored to make it 2-1. Gigliotti got his brace a few minutes later to take the scoreline to 3-1. Troyes defence began to leak alarmingly though, and Jelen scored again. As the match was about to die, Auxerre’s Kanga Akale got the goal to tie it up, completing a remarkable comeback. This one ended 3-3, and the teams keep their table places.

Valenciennes hosted Sochaux in another tale of two fortunes. Sochaux are tied for 2nd in the table while Valenciennes are only 3 points up of the relegation zone. Valenciennes needed to win to keep pace and stay safe mid-table, and the home side would like the opportunity to pad their goal differential. This one played out to a boring 0-0 draw, but the points mean that both teams move up for the time being. Sochaux to third and Valenciennes to 14th.

Sunday’s early match saw Lille meet up with St. Etienne in the match with perhaps the biggest table implications of any match played this week. Lille’s legs were perhaps a bit tired after their big midweek match against AC Milan, but their domestic form has continued to be good even as they’ve been playing in Europe. St. Etienne’s win over Lorient last week threw them into the fray at the top of the table, as they sit 2 points back of 2nd. Aruajo Ilan opened the scoring a mere 8 minutes into the match for St. Etienne, but Lille responded quickly with Bodmer converting a Kieta cross in the box. The draw continued until after halftime, when the home side struck again, with Kieta providing his own contribution to the scoresheet. The visitors were not to leave without taking points back, however, with Ilan getting his brace with a goal to finish it off at 66 minutes. The draw allows Lens to get a two point lead over third place Lille, while St. Etienne moves up a spot to 5th.

Lyon versus PSG is usually a battle of the two biggest clubs in France, but PSG have been less than inspiring of late, reaching a new low last week when their match against Toulouse was postponed due to safety concerns at the the Parc Des Princes. That said, PSG were much more rested than Lyon, who had a midweek Champions League matchup against Bucharest. It looked as if the first half would go scoreless, but as the whistle was about to blow Sylvain Wiltord scored for the home side. 60 minutes in Pauleta scored off a free kick to level things off. Anxious to put this one to bed, Lyon scored two unanswered goals just before 90 minutes. 29 points now seperate the teams, and PSG continue to languish in 15th.

Sunday, December 03, 2006

Week of November 27-December 4

SCORES

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UEFA Cup

November 29
Partizan Belgrade 1-4 Auxerre
Lens 1-2 Parma

November 30

Nancy 3-0 Feyenoord
Mlada Boleslav 0-0 PSG

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Ligue 1

December 2

Le Mans 0-1 Lyon
Auxerre 0-0 Nice
Lens 3-0 Bordeaux
Monaco 3-0 Valenciennes
Rennes 2-0 Nantes
Sedan 1-2 Troyes
St. Etienne 2-0 Lorient

December 3

PSG P-P Toulouse
Sochaux 1-0 Marseille
Nancy 1-3 Lille

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On Wednesday Auxerre took a trip across the continent to Belgrade to meet up with Partizan in UEFA Cup action. Neither team has been particularly good in the competition, occupying the bottom two place in Group A. In order to qualify for the next round both teams needed a clear result, and a loss from Livorno would certainly help things along. Partizan got off to a good start in the fifth minute, making it one-nil. Auxerre were not to be put off their game, however, and proved to be unstoppable, with Cheyrou, Niculae, and Akale all scoring before the first half ended. Luigi Pieroni embarrassed the hosts once more just as time was expiring. With Livorno unable to make up points, Auxerre moves into the top three teams of Group A.

Lens hosted Parma at the Felix-Bollaert sitting in second in Group D. A win would secure them a place in the next round, while Parma has already booked their spot. Lens have not yet lost in the group stage, and their domestic form has been very good. Parma are in a bad state sitting in 16th in the Serie A. Lens scored first on a goal from Daniel Cousin, who has been in good form of late. Unfortunately for the hosts, the Italian side absolutely dominated the rest of the match, with Daniele Paponi finally scoring the winner in the 90th minute. The win puts Parma in charge of Group D, with Lens still in second sitting on on 4 points.

Nancy hosted Feyenoord Rotterdam on Thursday, with Nancy looking to book their place in the next round with a win. Rotterdam have only managed to draw in the UEFA Cup, but have been doing well domestically, sitting in 5th in the Eredivisie. Nancy began brightly and scored twice in the first half, while things went from bad to worse for Feyenoord, who were reduced to ten men in the 60th minute. Feyenoord fans who had been acting up all game began to explode tear gas bombs with 12 minutes remaining in the match. The match was delayed for almost a half an hour, and when the players returned the stadium was much emptier than when they left. The rest didn’t do much good for the Dutch side, as Nancy claimed one last goal off a penalty kick in the 66th minute. Nancy secured their next-round place, with Feyenoord a long shot to advance, needing a win and some luck to get through to the next round.

PSG travelled to the Czech Republic to meet up with Mlada Boleslav in a battle of the last place teams in Group G. Boleslav qualified for the UEFA Cup through the Champions League, and have only managed a Draw and a Loss. PSG are in the same boat, and both teams need a win to get into the top three in the group. The only interesting thing that happened in this match was the sending-off of PSG’s Amara Diane in the 45th minute. The nil-nil draw means that PSG have to beat group leaders Panathinaikos in the next matchweek to qualify for the next round. Boleslav are up against the same situation, they need to beat Hapoel Tel Aviv.

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The early match on Saturday saw Autumn Champions Lyon travel to Le Mans to continue their stroll to the championship. Le Mans have drawn their last three and have had trouble scoring goals of late. Lyon have won every match in France since November 4th. Le Mans started with a flurry, pressing energetically, but the Lyon defence were able to shut them down effectively, and make chances happen on the counterattack. Action was end-to-end all match, but the only goal came from the foot of Sylvain Wiltord, who made it happen in the 57th minute. Lyon continue to dominate the league thoroughly while Le Mans struggle mid-table.

Auxerre had the pleasure of hosting Nice sitting in 14th place in the table, but Nice were doing much worse in 17th. Auxerre had a huge result in Belgrade in Midweek, popping in 4 goals, and they were looking to continue playing offensively and boost their league goal differential. Nice needed a win to keep out of relegation territory. Unfortunately for Nice it was not to be, as the match ended in a 0-0 draw. Troyes victory over Sedan takes them up over into the light sitting in 17th, and Nice drops to 18th. Auxerre keep their spot in 14th.

Lens needed a boost Saturday after losing to Parma Midweek in UEFA Cup Action. Bordeaux were on a high after two domestic wins and knew that with a clear result they could leap themselves up into second place. Lens could do the same with a win. This was the afternoon that the hosts wanted, as they turned in a dominating performance, with defender Vitorino Hilton scoring at the 40 minute mark. Lens continued to flow as their leading scorer Daniel cousin popped one in, followed by striker Issam Jomaa finishing it all off in the 88th minute. The decisive win was much needed for Lens and they now sit in second with a +10 Goal Differential, the second best after Lyon. Disappointed Bordeaux drop all the way to 8th, not picking up any points.

Monaco have been able to get a couple of welcome draws over the past two matchweeks, and Valenciennes got their first win in a while last week. Monaco are still rebuilding after their disastrous start, but have had the fortitude to lift themselves up into 16th. 4 points separate the sides, but a win would be a huge result for Monaco. The sun shone brightly on Monaco today, and Valenciennes would love to have this match back. As Monco has done in weeks past, they spread the goals around the team, with Yaya Toure, Serge Gakpe, and Jan Koller all providing on the day. This run of good form could not come at a better time for Monaco, as the fans begin to rally around the team once more, and the momentum seems to be headed their way. Valenciennes stay in 15th, but matches against eager teams such as Sochaux and St. Etienne in the coming weeks may make things tough for them.

Orient Road was the venue as Rennes hosted Nantes in a match that they would have to be confident going into even though last week’s loss to Toulouse was a bit of a setback. Nantes need to better themselves to get out of the dreaded 18th spot. Typically scrappy Rennes made things difficult for the visitors, thwarting their midfield efforts, and finally getting a goal 39 minutes in from Mario Melchiot. Bruno Cheyrou got his first goal late in the match to make the scoreline 2-0. That was how things ended as well, as Rennes squeak into the top half of the table with the win, and Nantes continue to head toward their demise sitting in 19th.

Sedan drew Troyes this week in a battle of the bottom two clubs. Victories have been scarce for both sides, with Sedan managing a draw last week against Nice, and Troyes doing the same against Marseille. Sedan have only won one match in 15, and looked headed down if they couldn’t produce results quickly, while Troyes have managed just one more win than that. Troyes started off with a goal from Georges Ba just before halftime. Things went from bad to worse for Sedan as midfielder Morgan Amalfitano was red-carded 68 minutes in. Troyes used the opportunity to quickly score 2 minutes later. Sedan brought one back as time was expiring to give them a little boost, but it was not enough as they sustain yet another loss and can’t seem to lift themselves out of the cellar. Troyes aren’t much better off, but a win is what they needed.

St. Etienne hosted Lorient with the teams sitting in 8th and 11th, but with only 4 points separating them. Both teams were coming off losses the week before, and Lorient especially had something to prove, as they have showed themselves to be a quality fighting side thus far in the season. Unfortunately for the visitors it was not to be their day, although the little guys held the scoreline until the second half of the match, when Marek Heinz broke through for St. Etienne. 16 minutes later Frederic Piquionne got the insurance and his 6th goal of the season. St. Etienne move up to 3rd for now, and will want to keep things up.

Early Sunday the Parc Des Princes was the Venue for PSG and Toulouse to square off in a battle that the hosts would want to get three points out of if they were to stop their run of form. PSG sat in 13th on the day, and have not been able to show up and get the all-important three points on their matchdays. Toulouse on the other hand, were a part of the group of teams vying to move up into the European places. The League decided, however, to postpone the match due to concerns of Hooliganism. The midweek match against Hapoel Tel Aviv was marred by racist hooligans, and the police, the clubs, and the LFP decided that the venue would be unsafe to hold a match in.

Last week Sochaux showed that they had the class to get up into a top table position with a 3-1 victory over Lorient away from home, and this week they had struggling Marseille to deal with. Marseille were only able to manage a draw against Troyes last week, who continue to swim around in the bottom three. The only goal of the day came from Sochaux’ Rabiu Afolabi in the 77th minute, despite many chances for the visiting team. Sochaux keep pace with the front runners and land themselves in 4th, while Marseille sit in 8th.

Nancy had Lille at the Marcel Picot for the late match Sunday in a match with big consequences down the stretch. Nancy were looking to leapfrog up into the European places once more, and stop their run of bad form after their wonderful start to the season. Lille were sitting in second, but only on goal differential, and would be looking to pop in a couple for the win to plead their case for the table position. Nancy opened the scoring in the 52nd minute with a goal from Benjamin Gavanon, but they couldn’t hold it together, with Lille bouncing back and padding their goal differential with three unanswered goals late in the match. All in all a great trip for Lille to Nancy, and the teams find themselves in 3rd and 6th respectively this week.