Week of February 19 - 26

SCORES

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UEFA Champions League

February 20

Manchester United 1-0 Lille

February 21

Roma 0-0 Lyon

Ligue 1

February 24

Toulouse 3-0 Marseille
Le Mans 0-2 Monaco
Lyon 3-3 Sochaux
Nantes 1-1 Auxerre
Nice 2-1 Lille
Rennes 0-2 Sedan
Troyes 3-0 Lorient

February 25

Lens 2-2 Nancy
Bordeaux 2-1 Valenciennes
PSG 0-2 St. Etienne

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Tuesday saw Lille host Manchester Untied, albeit at the Felix-Bollaert in Lens. The match would require all the resources that Lille could muster, as the Red Devils had been flying of late, and Lille were much on the opposite end of the spectrum, their form being somewhat haphazard. The first half showed little promise, with each team feeling the other out to see what could be done. The second half started much brighter though, with both teams getting great chances. Lille's Peter Odemwingie converted Ludovic Obraniak's cross to what looked like a goal, but was called back, as the referee ruled that United defender Vidic had been fouled on the play. 6 minutes from time, United's Ryan Giggs took a hasty free-kick that resulted in a goal, but incensed the Lille bench and the supporters. Claude Puel called his men off the pitch in protest and the referee was at a loss of what to do. Police and crowd trouble also marred a match that surely will see UEFA come down hard on Les Dogues for their actions on and off the pitch, as well as the trouble in the stadium. The return leg goes March 7th at Old Trafford in Manchester.

Wednesday saw league leaders Lyon make the trip to Rome to meet Roma at the Stadio Olimpico. The match started with nothing between the teams, but an aggressive style of play soon developed, and a succession of fouls slowed the already tentative style of play to a bit of a crawl. Lyon had a very good spell of possession that amounted to nothing in the first half, and Roma did little to test Coupet. Juninho almost pulled one off for the visitors as time expired, but this one was all about non-chances and a lack of finishing. 11 Yellow Cards were handed out in total to amke things dangerous, especially for a Roma side that received 8. This one ended 0-0, a result that Lyon will be happy to take back with them to the Gerland.

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Ligue 1 Action kicked off Saturday in Toulouse under the shadow of the Pyrenees, where Marseille travelled the short distance to see if they could leapfrog Sochaux and end up in a European place again. Marseille and Toulouse were even on points on the day, but Toulouse were in much better form, coming off wins against Lille and Lorient. Marseille got a poor 0-0 draw at home when faltering Nantes came to visit. Marseille dominated the early going, with pressure coming from all sides near the Toulouse goal. Marseille looked the more dangerous team until Toulouse broke the deadlock in the 39th minute when Johan Elmander broke through and fooled the keeper to make things 1-0 at halftime. Marseille's day went from bad to worse after the break, as Elmander got his brace only three minutes later. Toulouse's Achille Emana got the extra insurance goal in the 63rd minute to complete a performance that had the home fans jumping and happy. Marseille slip out of the European places with the loss, and Toulouse move all the way up to 3rd with the result.

Le Mans hosted Monaco in a match that saw both teams in need of a win. Le Mans lost to Sochaux last week in a game littered with mistakes on their part. Monaco snoozed to a 0-0 draw at home against Lens, who surely should have taken the points away from the principality side. Monaco was the first to hit the scoreboard when Frederic Piquionne netted his 3rd goal of the season just 15 minutes in, despite seeing much less of the ball and only one shot on goal. Monaco picked up the pace after the goal, and just past the halfway mark saw Uruguayan international Domingo Perez score to make it 2 for the Monagesques. That's the way the story went, and the result sees Le Mans slip up again in a crucial matchup.

Sochaux had a big 2-0 win over Le Mans last week, having taken advantage of all their opponents weaknesses and ended the weekend in 4th place in the standings, their best in a good while. Lyon were a different and much tougher opponent, however. Lyon had drawn Roma in Europe over the week, and had slightly more tired legs, but the team as a whole were getting back into form after a dreadful start to the year. Sochaux thought they had this one in the bag early on, as striker Álvaro Santos scored his 7th of the season, closely followed by the referee awarding them a penalty, which Karim Ziani promptly converted. Lyon's new signing Milan Baros was able to light a spark, however, when he struck in the 40th minute to give the home side a glimmer of hope. Late in the second half Sochaux' striker Sebastien Grax, recently come from Monaco, showed that he started this match for a reason, and that was to make the scoreline 3-1. It was the perfect scorline to have in the 86th minute if you were a Sochaux supporter, but it all fell apart in minutes, as Silvain Wiltord got one back in the 90th minute, and then a penalty went against Sochaux, and that gave Juninho a chance to tie it up, which he did. Lyon really showed their quality in this one with the comeback, and both teams came away with a point to share.

A team that were in dire straights was Nantes, who came into the weekend in 19th place, sitting on 22 points. The draw with Marseille last weekend was the best they could have expected under the circumstances, but a valuable 2 points were lost in the long run. Nantes had the pleasure of hosting Auxerre, whose season wasn't going badly, but they knew they wouldn't be competing for a top spot, even in the tight Ligue 1 Table. Auxerre drew Sedan 2-2 last weekend, a result that they would not be proud of. Auxerre midfielder Benoit Cheyrou got his 3rd of the season in the 19th minute to get things off to a rollicking start for the visitors. A battle for the midfield began, and neither team could get anything going until deep into the second half, when Nantes Claudiu Keseru scored to give the home side a ray of hope. Unfortunately for them, it was all they could muster and came away with just 1 point instead of the 3 they so desperately needed.

The Municipal du Ray was the venue for Nice's home fixture vs. European bad boys Lille. Nice were in the relegation zone, but could conceivably lift themselves out with a win here. Lille were a club in turmoil and disrepute after the incident midweek against Manchester United cast a shadow over their recent efforts. Nice were in better form domestically, winning their last 3, but Lille were a different story. Things got ugly after a particularly scrappy bit of play in the first half. Nice's Florent Balmont and Lille's Nicolas Plestan got into a row and were both shown straight red for fighting. The open playing field was exactly what Nice wanted, and Bakari Kone was able to pop one in just before halftime. Lille came back with vigor after the half but were unable to score until the 62nd minute when Yohan Cabaye got his 3rd of the season. Kone could no be stopped however and got the brace in the 85th minute to send Lille packing home. This was exactly the result Nice needed to get themselves out of relegation territory, and Lille drop all the way to 5th.

Rennes were a team on fire, sitting on their best table position of the season and within striking distance of Europe. Last week they beat St. Etienne away to go level on points with them, and were only 3 points back of a European spot. Their home match vs. Sedan was not one that they would fear, but rather relish, even though Sedan had managed to draw Auxerre last weekend. Sedan's Gregory Pujol scored just 15 minutes in to give the visitors a surprise lead, despite Renne's dominating every facet of the game. Rennes absolutely pelted the Sedan net for the entire match, out-shooting their opponents 22-9. After another futile period of play, Rennes conceded again, this time it was Mansour Boutabout who got a taste of the onionbag. A shock result indeed that set Rennes' aspirations back a bit.

Troyes hosted Lorient Saturday afternoon, and it was a tale of two teams with opposite seasons. Troyes had managed to lift themselves out of relegation, but thanks to a big team effort from Lorient, they had been in a comfortable position all season. Last week saw Troyes beat Bordeaux at home, and Lorient had travelled to Toulouse only to lose 1-0. Troyes turned out a dominating performance in this one, with Gaël Danic scoring 2 minutes in, and it just got better for the home side. David Gigliotti scored just before halftime, and then Danic scored again as time expired to finish this one off 3-0 Lorient were poor on the day and Troyes fully deserved the three points.

The first of three matches on Sunday saw Nancy travel to the Felix-Bollaert in Lens to make up the points they lost against PSG lat week. Lens, for their part, had only managed a disappointing draw on their trip to Monaco. Lens would need all the points they could get with every other team wishing to be in their Champions League spot. Lens conceded a goal a mere 7 minutes from the start when low-scoring Nancy striker Marc-Antoine Fortune got his second goal of the season. Lens were not to be deterred though, and Aruna Dindane got one back 12 minutes later. A clumsy challenge by Nancy gave Lens midfielder Seydou Keita the chance to convert a penalty, which he did to bump his season tally to 8. Lens coasted through the rest of the first half and all of the second until recent Nancy signing Youssouf Hadji got his first goal of the season and the first for his new club since joining from Rennes during the transfer window. The 90th minute strike was all Nancy needed for the point, and though Lens stay in second, they don't gain any ground on Lyon.

Bordeaux and Valenciennes was a story of two teams on extremely poor runs of form. Valenciennes had shown that their big win the other week was a flash in the pan by losing to lowly Nice last weekend. Bordeaux had it even worse, losing to Troyes. The teams sat in 9th and 16th, respectively. Bordeaux Midfielder Fernando Menegazzo got a chance to get his first of the season when they were awarded a penalty early in the match. Megazzo converted, putting Bordeaux up 1-0. The home side were on a roll when Ferreira Vieira made it 2-0 at the stroke of halftime. Valenciennes were dire on the day, but managed to pull one back in the 83rd minute courtesy of Midfielder Thomas Dossevi, but it wasn't enough, as Bordeaux get a win that they needed and now sit in 6th. Valenciennes now drop into the relegation zone courtesy of the win by Nice, and are level on points with PSG.

PSG were playing their bast football of the year when St. Etienne came to call at the Parc Des Princes. PSG had assaulted Nancy last weekend 3-0, and St. Etienne had suffered nearly the same fate at the hands of Rennes. PSG needed the win more though, to keep themselves out of relegation danger. The visitors burst the PSG bubble in the first half when Defender Damien Perquis got a rare goal to make the score 1-0. Once on a roll, St. Etienne got another in the 45th minute courtesy of striker Araujo Ilan, his 9th of the year. Two brilliant saves on the part of St. Etienne keeper Jeremie Janot kept the scoreline the same for the second half, and once again PSG are in dangerous territory, hovering just above the drop zone on goal differential. St. Etienne, on the other hand, move up to 5th as their season gets a little bit better.

Week of February 12 - 19

SCORES

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UEFA Cup

February 14

Bordeaux 0-0 Osasuna
Shaktar Donetsk 1-1 Nancy
AEK Athens 0-2 PSG

February 15

Lens 3-1 Panathinaikos

Ligue 1

February 16

Lille 1-2 Lyon

February 17

St. Etienne 1-3 Rennes
Nancy 0-3 PSG
Lorient 0-1 Toulouse
Sedan 2-2 Auxerre
Sochaux 2-0 Le Mans
Troyes 1-0 Bordeaux
Valenciennes 0-1 Nice

February 18

Monaco 0-0 Lens
Marseille 0-0 Nantes

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Valentine's day saw the Return of UEFA Cup action to Europe, and Bordeaux were there courtesy of the drop from the Champions League after finishing 3rd in Group C. Ocasuna had been plodding through the UEFA Cup and had finished second in their Group, just behind Parma. The first Leg at the Stade Chaban-Delmas in Bordeaux saw almost nothing in the way of chances for either team. Bordeaux controlled the ball effectively, but as it has been in most of their European fixtures, they could not finish. Ocasuna were effectively shut down in midfield and the fans were more than happy to get out of the stadium at the end of the match, this night being the perfect prelude to a good night's rest. 0-0 Final.

AS Nancy Lorraine took their show on the road to the Ukraine and the RSK Olympyiskyi in Donetsk. Nancy finished second in their group as well, just behind Blackburn Rovers in Group E. Shaktar's record of 1-3-2 in the Champions League Group phase was less than stellar, but it was enough to get them the third place spot just ahead of Olympiacos and the drop to the UEFA Cup. Most of the match was played in the midfield with little in the way of clear-cut chances, until Marc-Antoine Fortune scored for the visitors in the 81st minute. With what looked like a sure win, Nancy stepped off the gas as Shaktar sped things up and scored 3 minutes later. Tymoschuk for Donetsk got sent off as time expired, but there was no time for Nancy to take advantage of the extra man, and they end in a 1-1 first leg tie.

PSG made the journey to the Spyros Louis Stadium in Athens to meet up with AEK, who had narrowly missed out on the group stage of the Champions League courtesy of a great show by Lille in Milan. PSG had finished second in Group G, just behind Panathinaikos, who were drawn against Lens in the Round of 32. It was the visitors who dominated this match, as PSG were determined to continue winning after putting on a show for the home fans against Monaco last weekend. Sammy Traore scored at the stroke of halftime, and as Athens continued to struggle defensively, Bernard Mendy popped one in at the 88th minute to give PSG the insurance they needed to go home with a win and two away goals.

Lens were on form in all competitions coming into their first-leg home tie against Panathinaikos at the Felix-Bollaert. This one was important to them though, as they had failed to crack the top two in the group stages, finishing in 3rd with only 4 points yet still advancing to the round of 32. Panathinaikos, on the other hand, had finished top of their group but had been beaten in France 4-0 at the hands of PSG. A dire and boring first half gave way to an eventful second. Issam Jomaa's goal in the 49th minute blew this match wide open, and after a lot of back-and-forth, Panathinaikos came up with one courtesy of their striker Dimitrios Salpigidis. Lens were too strong on the day though, and Jomaa came right back to give them the lead five minutes later. A late foul on Yohan Demont gave Lens a late penalty, taken by Aruna Dindane who converted and finished things off at 3-1. The advantage goes to Lens in the second leg in Greece.

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A rare Friday match in Ligue 1 was an important one for both teams concerned. Lyon was visiting Lille, and the result would be most important for the home side if they were to make any case for challenging for the top spot. THey saw themselves 15 points behind Lyon on the day, but could conceivably cut that to 12 with a win here. Lille had bumbled against Toulouse last weekend, but were still on pace, with their neighbors Lens, for European places next year. Lyon had gotten their first win of 2007 against Lorient last weekend, and wanted to get back on form for their big match against Roma next week in Champions League. A lacklustre first half gave way to a much more entertaining second, as Lille's Johan Audel got a rare goal to put the home side 1 up in the 51st minuts. Lille were too much for a Lyon side with nothing in the way of creativity until Fred's free kick in the 82nd minute somehow found its way past Lille keeper Tony Sylva. As things looked like they were about to go to a draw, Lyon defender Sebastien Squillaci got a rare goal himself, and it was too late for Lille to catch up, as Lyon win 2-1 in Lille.

The one early match Saturday featured two teams who had drawn matches last weekend, St. Etienne and Rennes. St. Etienne, who drew with Auxerre, were still in good position to vie for Europe, sitting in 5th. Rennes had dropped to 12th after a disappointing draw with AS Nancy Lorraine at their home ground, and were solidly mid-table. Rennes came out flying and showed the crowd at the Geoffrey-Guichard that they meant business. Striker John Utaka sowed how clinical he could be with a stunning free kick goal in the 15th minute. St. Etienne were no pushovers though, as Bafetimbi Gomis got one past Pouplin 20 minutes later. After halftime, Rennes were on their back heel a bit, but a sprightly counterattack got Utaka his brace in the 58th minute. The Rennes fire could not be put out by this time, as Sylvain Marveaux converted not three minutes later to give the visitors the insurance. Rennes move up to 8th, their highest spot of the season, level on Points with St. Etienne, and both teams will still be confident they could be in the European hunt.

Nancy got a 1-1 result at Rennes last weekend, and over the week at Donetsk in the Ukraine, so they would want three points in their meeting with PSG. PSG were just getting back on the horse after a dire run of form, winning 4-2 against Monaco last week, and 2-0 against AEK Athens away in the UEFA Cup. Nancy could not get anything going on the day as PSG looked unstoppable, even though all of the scoring came late in the second half. It all started with a Pauleta penalty miss in the 70th minute that became a goal after the keeper rebounded the ball to the penalty taker to make the score 1-0. The game was sealed in the dying minutes as Pierre-Alain Frau and Marcelo Gallardo both put one home to give PSG an emphatic 3-0 away win. The win puts PSG a safer 15th, but Nancy drop back down to 12th.

Lorient would have been confident going into Lyon last week, but Fred's 8th minute strike was all that was needed to hold the Breton upstarts at bay. That said, Lorient were not in bad form, and Toulouse had squeaked a win last week against Lille, but only courtesy of an own goal by Lille's Gregory Tafforeau in the dying seconds of the match. Les Violets were the ones who took al lthe points here though, as a quick paced game turned scrappy, and a controversial penalty was given to Toulouse early in the second half, which Paulo Cesar was more than happy to take and convert. It was all that Toulouse needed in a game that Lorient should have won. The home side had the bulk of chances and possession, and they would be very disappointed with the result. Toulouse hunt Europe in 5th, while Lorient drop to 12th, their lowest in quite a while.

Sedan v. Auxerre was not the marquee match of the weekend, let's get that straight before we begin, but any match was important for Sedan, who needed three points from every match they could from now on if they even had a hope of staying in the top flight. Last weekend they just barely lost to Le Mans by a score of 3-2. Auxerre had drawn St. Etienne 1-1, but knew that mid-table was where they belonged and would stay for the rest of the season. Auxerre gt the ball rolling when Romanian striker Daniel Niculae finished 15 minutes in, but the home side weren't down for long, as Romain Satre broke through a few minutes later. Sedan looked formidable in the first half as high-scoring Josep-Desire Job scored 4 minutes later to give them the lead. A nervy 67 minutes followed, and just as Sedan looked like they would get their first home win since December 16th, a patient Auxerre scored as Niculae got his brace. The result means Sedan are still 8 points from safety, and Auxerre end up in 13th on the day.

Sochaux hosted Le Mans Saturday afternoon at Stade Bonal confident they could get a result despite theit 3-1 loss to high-scoring, high-flying Lens last weekend, a result that left them in 6th, but only one point back of the European places. Le Mans had squeaked by Sedan, but with a lot of other teams doing much better than them, they ended the weekend sitting in a disappointing 9th, and would have to have a lot of nerve to win here. A nasty foul on Sochaux's Guirane N'Daw gave the referee no chance but to award a penalty in the 14th minute, which was well taken by Álvaro Santos. A game lacking in tempo and finishing was underlined by an own goal by Le Mans' Hassan Yebda as things went from bad to worse for the visitors in the 79th minute. Things would end just that way too, as Sochaux move into 4th, and Le Mans drop to 10th.

Bordeaux travelled to Troyes to meet up with a team only one point above the relegation battle and wanting to stay up at all costs. Troyes' loss to Nice last week was a big blow, as was the 3-0 scoreline. Bordeaux were only able to snooze out a 0-0 European result on their trip to Spain to meet Osasuna, but had narrowly avoided an upset when Marseille came to town last weekend in Ligue 1 action, beating them 1-0. Bordeaux's lack of the finishing touch was extremely evident in this match, as they had chance after chance but could not convert. All it took for the weaker side was David Gigliotti's 67th minute headed goal off a fine cross from Bangoura. Bordeaux looked the stronger team in the finishing stages of the match, but the Troyes defense held strong to keep them in 17th, just above relegation territory. Bordeaux fall to 9th on the day.

Two teams that had found their goal-scoring feet last week were Valenciennes and Nice, who met Saturday afternoon in Northern France, in Valenciennes. The home side had whooped Nantes 5-2 on their big trip there, and Nice had found three goals in them in their home tie with Troyes. Nice still were in relegation form though, sitting in 18th, while Valenciennes' 15th place left something to be desired as well. These were not the high scoring sides we saw last week, however, and a dire match on a poor pitch unfolded extremely slowly before the spectators eyes. Nice's big scorer Bakari Koné was awarded a penatly in the 31th minute, and everybody might as well have gone home, because that was the final score. Valenciennes and Nice now sit in 16th and 18th, respectively.

Sunday's big match was the early one, with Lens traveling south to Monaco in a match that could see the second place team make up ground on first-place Lyon with three points. Lens beat Sochaux convincingly last week, 3-1, while Monaco's luck ran out and PSG's came back at the Parc des Princes when they lost 4-2. The teams sat at 2nd and 14th, respectively, coming into this match. Good end-to-end action marked the first half, but with no one coming out the clear contender. Lens were nothing near the goal-scoring power they had been in recent weeks. The second half was equally as unresolved, and the teams left the pitch frustrated, tied 0-0.

Marseille needed 3 points against Nantes, they knew it, and they wanted Europe next year. Nantes had been extremely poor this season and looked destined to go down for the next. Marseille had lost to Bordeaux in the last minutes of the match last week, and Nantes, sitting in 19th, had been soundly thumped by Valenciennes 5-2. Marseille dominated the first half of this match, but their 10 shots to Nantes' two were still not enough to beat Fabien Barthez. The home side dominated the second half as well, but Nantes' defense held up wonderfully. Marseille should have won this one on paper, but the 1 point means they can still be easily caught in the European places.

Technorati Tags: Championnat, football, france, Lyon, soccer

Week of February 5 - 12

SCORES

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Ligue 1

February 10

PSG 4-2 Monaco
Auxerre 1-1 St. Etienne
Le Mans 3-2 Sedan
Lyon 1-0 Lorient
Nantes 2-5 Valenciennes
Nice 3-0 Troyes
Rennes 1-1 Nancy
Toulouse 1-0 Lille


February 11

Lens 3-1 Sochaux
Bordeaux 1-0 Marseille

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The woes of Paris St. Germain continued to compound last week when they were barely able to eke out a draw with Marseille. The result combined with Troyes' surprise win over Lyon left them in a precarious position, only one point above Nantes in 17th place. Monaco were not a team interested in dropping points anywhere, least of all to PSG. Monaco beat Auxerre last week for their second win in a row, and have been consistently on form since Mid-November. This match started brightly for the home side when Amara Diane scored just 5 minutes in to make the score 1-0. Diane created the second goal as well, a shot that was fumbled into the net by Monaco keeper Roma. The eventful first half gave way to a scrappy second, which saw the visitors get one back as Frederic Piquionne scored. Piquionne was called upon 15 minutes later to take a penalty, which was saved by PSG keeper Landreau. Minutes later PSG exploited Monaco's defensive weakness to pop in two more in the space of four minutes. Jan Koller's 87th minute strike was all that Monaco could answer with as PSG got their first win in ages, and finally get into a temporary goalscoring form. Monaco and PSG end the day in 14th and 16th respectively.

Auxerre hosted St. Etienne at the Stade Abbe-Deschamps Saturday hopeful that they could recover after losing to Monaco last week. St. Etienne, sitting in 6th, would continue to pack the top-of-the-table log jam even tighter with a win here. Their loss to Sedan last week was disastrous for morale, and that upset would require that they create something special here. Auxerre's go-to scorer Kanga Akale got his 9th of the season 19 minutes in to put the home side one-up. After defending well for most of the match, Auxerre would regret missed chances when St. Etienne broke through 15 minutes from time to pull the visitors level and finish off the scoring for the day. This one ended 1-1, with the shared points enough to move both teams up a place in the standings.

Sedan, after beating St. Etienne last week, would have some hope that they would get a result against 12th place Le Mans, despite the fact that they looked destined to be the Watford of France. Sedan, coming up from Ligue 2, have been failing to make their case to stay up, unlike their counterparts Valenciennes and Lorient. Le Mans haven't lost at home since early December, and would like to continue that trend and stay solidly mid-table. Mamadou Samassa struck early for Le Mans, but a foolhardy penalty giveaway on the part of the home side gave Sedan's Joseph-Desire Job the chance to convert. 1-1 the scoreline. Things got worse for the Ardennes side however when they were reduced to ten men in the second half, and with the extra space Le Mans was able to capitalize as Romaric Koffi and Grafite scored in the 67th and 73rd minutes respectively. Sedan midfielder Abdelnasser Ouadah scored as time expired, but it wasn't enough as the match ended 3-2 for Le Mans who now sit pretty in 8th.

Lyon, at home again after their embarrassing loss to Troyes last weekend, have had an absolutely disastrous 2007 so far. This fixture against Lorient was as tough as any, considering Lorient have been in fine form of late, and lesser teams than they have beaten Lyon this year. Lorient beat Le Mans last week by a convincing 2-0 scoreline, and had all the confidence in the world. Lyon shut down Lorient's hopes early though, with a spectacular goal from Fred only 8 minutes in. Lorient's big scorers Gignac and Ulrich Le Pen both has shots saved by Gregory Coupet over the course of the match, and Lyon held on for their first win of the new year.

Nantes, like their bottom feeding brethren, knew that by stringing a win or two together they could possibly get themselves out of danger. Sitting in 18th is no walk in the park, but leapfrogging PSG was a goal that could be achieved with a win here. Valenciennes had been a bit dire of late, and they sat in 15th, also needing to string together a result or two to take themselves into the safety zone. Nothing could have prepared anyone for this match though. The visitors started well, with Steve Savidan netting his 13th of the season early on. The rest of the first half was uneventful, but after half time, things got a bit more scrappy. Sacidan got his second of the match in the 49th minute, and then a rash challenge from Nates' Dimitri Payet saw his sent off in the 63rd minute. Savidan could not be stopped, and scored again just minutes later. Laurent Dufresne then made it 4-0 for Valenciennes not four minutes later. Nantes decided then to have a decent spell, with Claudio Keseru and Loic Guillon providing to make the score 4-2, but it was not enough, for man of the match Steve Savidan decided to get one more in the 88th minute to wrap up an exciting goalfest in Nantes. Valenciennes stay in 15th, but Nantes drop a place to 19th.

It was a battle of two minnows who fought like sharks against the top team in the country, Lyon. Nice drew Lyon two weeks ago, and beat Bordeaux last week to put them on a bit of a roll, a result that surely put them in a good frame of mind to lift themselves out out of relegation danger. Troyes beat Lyon last week to do just that. They leapfrogged PSG and saw themselves sitting in 16th on the day. Nice dominated the play on the day however, and Lillian Laslandes provides a goal on either side of the break to put Nice up 2-0. Brazilian midfielder Ederson scored his 7th of the season to make it 3-0 for Nice, and the win sees them leapfrog Nantes to place them in 18th. Troyes's loss places them back in a dangerous 17th place.

Rennes' disappointing 0-0 draw with Sochaux last week meant that they stayed in the tenth place spot after consecutive weeks of moving up the table. This home fixture would be one that could see them move as high as 7th with a win. Nancy were in some of their worst form of the season, and now sat in 8th just ahead of Bordeaux and just behind Lorient. Rennes dominated the ball in the first half, with chance after chance denied by Nancy keeper Damien Gregorini. Nancy were the first to hit the scoreboard, however, when Carlos Kim scored just after the break. Rennes were not to be denied in the second half however, and John Utaka put in his 5th of the season to draw things level as time expired. The teams share the points and now sit in 10th and 11th.

A team that had certainly dropped off form was Toulouse, who had dropped points to PSG, Troyes, and Nancy recently. Toulouse now sat in 11th, and would need to start getting results and keeping pace, especially with some of the lower-placed teams getting big wins. Lille's long journey south to Toulouse would be a test for them, sitting 1 point back of Lens in 3rd place. Lens and Lille had been leapfrogging each other the past few weeks to control 2nd place, but that only helped struggling Lyon keep their place secure at the top of the table. The squds were equally matched for the entire game, with neither team able to break through. It looked as though this one was headed to a scoreless draw when Lille's Gregory Tafforeau blundered and put the ball in the back of his own net in injury time. Ecstatic Toulouse move up to 7th, and Lille stay in third.

Lens would want all three points in their fixture against 5th place Sochaux in order to catch up with Lyon and keep their second place spot intact. Lens' 3-1 victory over Valenciennes last week was convincing, but recent history suggested that anyone could knock them off and jam the top of the table further. This was the task that 5th place Sochaux needed to accomplish if they wanted to get themselves back into the European places. Sochaux had only scored once in the past month, and that was against bottom-feeding Sedan. Lens completely dominated this game with the exception of possession. They made the best of their chances and had things wrapped up by half time with goals coming from Vitorino Hilton and Seydou Keita. High Scorer Aruna Dindane made it 3-0 in the 58th minute to make it unattainable for the visitors. Dusko Tosic's 85th minute strike was all Sochaux could muster on the day, and Lens keep second place, 14 points back of Lyon. Sochaux drop to 6th.

On again, off again Marseille sat in 4th place when they visited Bordeaux on Sunday. three points back of Lens who were in 2nd, and 14 back of 1st place Lyon. This was a team that should have mounted a challenge to Lyon's dominance this year, but had been completely anemic for most of the season. Bordeaux were suffering the fate of being unable to string together results, although their big win at the Stade Gerland three weeks ago should have helped them, they hadn't won since. An uneventful first half left things level at nil-nil, but Bordeaux finally broke through in the 74th minute when Julian Faubert scored. That was enough to get Bordeaux all three points, while Marseille hit another speed bump on the Road to Europe.

Technorati Tags: Championnat, football, france, Lyon, soccer

Week of January 28 - February 5

SCORES

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Ligue 1

February 3

Lille 0-0 Nantes
Nancy 2-1 Toulouse
Lorient 2-1 Le Mans
Monaco 2-1 Auxerre
Nice 2-1 Bordeaux
Sochaux 0-0 Rennes
St. Etienne 1-2 Sedan
Valenciennes 1-3 Lens

February 4

Troyes 1-0 Lyon
Marseille 1-1 PSG

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Nantes, who have had little in the way of luck this season, made the trip to visit Les Dogues in Lille. Nantes needed every single point they could get, as their struggle this season has put them at risk of finishing in the top flight. Lille had come back into form to sit in second place after their win against Bordeaux last week, and they now sat 13 points back of Lyon, who hadn’t won in three matches. The goal-posts were the enemy of the home side on the day, who rattled them three times. Lille had the bulk of the chances, and Nantes were lucky to keep this match to a nil-nil draw. The result suited Nantes much better than Lille though, as Lille move down to 3rd, and Nantes can be happy with a point taken from a top side.

Nancy were the new team in trouble this past week after their 2-0 loss to Auxerre on Sunday. The result saw them fall all the way to 12th in the standings, their worst position in months. Toulouse were thwarted by a resilient Troyes last week, a match that ended one-all and saw them stay in their 8th place position. Gaston Curbelo started off the scoring 15 minutes in, giving Nancy the early lead in an otherwise uneventful first half. In the 55th minute Toulouse striker Pavel Fort was sent off, and Nancy used the advantage to score another in the 77th minute. Former Lyon striker Bryan Bergougnoux got one back as time expired for the visitors, but it was too late as Nancy won 2-1.

Lorient were back at home Saturday with Le Mans coming to visit. The home side’s trip to Nantes the week before had been fruitful, with that match ending 2-0. Le Mans had a great result as well, beating Marseille by the same scoreline in a match that Marseille were widely expected to win. A relatively uneventful first half ended with a Le Mans goal from striker Grafite, a goal that surely sent the visitors hopeful into the dressing room. Unfortunately for them, defender Yannick Fischer’s blundering own goal just after the half turned the tide in Lorient’s favour. As the game was about to expire, Lorient striker Steve Marlet sealed the deal and made the final scoreline in this one 2-1. Lorient move up to their highest position ever, 7th, and Le Mans drop to 12th.

Monaco had gotten back on the horse after losing to Rennes by beating Sedan last weekend, a result that saw them move into 14th and holding. Monaco were now 6 points out of relegation danger, but would need to keep stringing results together to stay contenders. Auxerre, on the other hand, had been solidly mid-table, but a big result might move them into the top half. Unfortunately it was not to be for the visitors, who saw Serge Gakpe put one past them in the 37th minute. Things went from bad to worse in the second half, as Auxerre gave away a penalty, which Monaco promptly converted. Big scorer Kanga Akale got one back for Auxerre, but the day saw them drop to 14th, and Monaco leapfrogged them into 13th.

Nice were the latest team to shock Lyon when they held the Champions to a draw at the Stade Gerland last weekend, a result that surely sent Lyon reeling and saw them take only 1 point out of a possible 9 in their last three matches. Nice still had much work to do though, their 17 points were only enough to give them 19th place, and the day saw them 4 points back of safety. The Girondins had a disappointing home match against Lille last week that saw them slip to 7th and further and further away from Europe. A first half brace from Nice’s Brazilian midfielder Ederson made their case very clear. Bordeaux’ Jean Micoud scored before the whistle, but it was all they could muster. Bordeaux’ free fall continues as they find themselves in 9th now, and Nice, still in 19th, at least have three more points to argue their case with.

Sochaux were the hosts to Rennes at the Stade Bonal in a match that saw Sochaux still in striking distance of a European place, but they would have to deal with in-form Rennes to do it. Rennes had bested Valenciennes the week previous in a hard-fought match at Orient Road, a result that had gotten them back into the top half of the table. These two sides had nothing between them however, and each gains a point for the nil-nil draw. Sochaux’ Point enabled them to move up into 5th, while Rennes stay in 10th on the day.

St. Etienne had had a tough match last week as well, a 3-3 goalfest vs. Lens in which they gave up three unanswered goals against the 3rd place side. St. Etienne, on form of late, now sat in 5th, just shy of a European spot. This week’s matchup with Sedan was a bit of an easier one, as Sedan have been the league’s favorite whipping-boys this season, losing 11 of their 22 matches. St. Etienne striker Bafetimbi Gomis netted his 5th of the year just 9 minutes in to make this one look like a walk in the park for the home side. Sedan came out of the dressing room ant halftime with other things on their minds however, and their go-to guy, Joseph-Desire Job, struck things level three minutes into the second half. St. Etienne pressed hard, but a fatal mistake by their defense led to an own goal which ended up being all Sedan needed to come away with just their third win of the season. St. Etienne drop to 6th in their second loss in as many weeks.

Lens fought back valiantly last week vs. St. Etienne, and they saw themselves just one point back of second place Lille, and were looking to get back into the form they had been in earlier in the season. Valenciennes had been handed a loss to Rennes recently, and their 15th place position meant they really needed at least a point in this match in front of the fans. Lens came out flying however, and showed their dominance with two first half goals from Eric Carriere and Seydou Keita. In fact, the home side’s only slip up was in giving away a penalty, which Steve Savidan happily converted. Lens wouldn’t stop scoring however, and Issam Jomaa got his 3rd of the season to make the final score 1-3, and giving Lens the 2nd place spot yet again. Valenciennes stay in 15th.

The question was on everybody’s mind, “Will Troyes be the 5th team to upset Lyon this season?” Resent history suggested not, but last week’s draw with Nice was certainly not a result typical of Lyon, and neither were the losses to Bordeaux and Toulouse. Troyes still sat only one point above relegation territory, and would need at least a point to keep out. Lyon’s performance was dominating, as the Troyes defense was breached time and time again, only to see Lyon thwarted by a lack of finishing. The visitors wold rue their missed opportunites, as Troyes’ Benjamin Nivet scored just on the verge of time expiring to give them the win. A shocked Lyon drop points again, and have not won a match in the new year, while Troyes leapfrog PSG into the 16th place spot, and out of relegation territory for now.

Perhaps the marquee match of the week was the clash between Marseille and Paris Saint-Germain at the Stade Velodrome. Another loss could conceivably plunge PSG into the depths of basement hell, and their form of late suggested this could easily be the case. Marseille slipped up against Le Mans last week, but in general have been in fine form and were unlikely to lose at home against one of the poorest teams in the league. Marseille had the bulk of the chances all match, and were finally rewarded with a well-deserved goal when Djibril Cisse popped one in in the 69th minute. PSG leveled up on a Pauleta strike 5 minutes later, but it was all the visitors could do to get the point and escape Marseille with tails between their legs. PSG sit one point above the drop, and Marseille now sit in 5th.