Championnat

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

Sunday, January 28, 2007

Week of January 25 - 28

SCORES

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Ligue 1

January 27

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

January 28

Auxerre 2-0 Nancy
Lens 3-3 St. Etienne

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There was little in the way of a break for any team this week, with all teams playing Ligue 1 matches on Wednesday and Thursday as well as Saturday and Sunday. Early Saturday saw Le Mans play host to in-form Marseille, who won despite playing in front of an empty stadium on Wednesday against Auxerre by a 3-1 scoreline. Le Mans had been lucky to come away from Valenciennes with a point courtesy of a goal as time expired. A win for Marseille would surely put their case forward for the second place spot, and a win for Le Mans would keep them in the top half of the table. The home side started off slow, with Marseille getting the bulk of the chances and being denied a goal early on. Le Mans’ James Franchome opened the scoring 38 minutes in after Marseille conceded a corner. The visitors played a listless game in the second half, capped off by giving away a penalty, which was all Le Mans needed to seal this match. Marseille’s winning streak ends, and they fall to 3rd.

Bordeaux contributed to Lyon’s mini dip in form on Wednesday, beating them at the Gerland 2-1. Lille’s win against PSG boosted them into 4th on the day, and the were looking to keep pace in the European places. Both sides had been consistent for most of the season, but Lille had more to lose in this match, as they wanted to start gelling before going back to Europe and their Champions League draws against Manchester United. Unfortunately for Bordeaux, this was not to be their day. It looked as though this one was headed to a nil-nil draw until defender Maromane Chamakh got it all wrong and put the ball in his own net. Lille leapfrog Marseille into 2nd, and Bordeaux keep their 7th place spot.

The second home fixture in four days for Lyon saw Nice travelling north to meet the team that was still 4 points above their nearest rivals, Marseille, despite dropping their last two matches. Nice were unable to beat Toulouse at home Wednesday, a result which saw them keep their dire 19th place spot, and they knew that the best they could hope for here would be a draw. To the surprise of the home fans, it was Nice who struck first as Bakari Kone beat Coupet in a moment of mass confusion. Lyon’s new boy Milan Baros drew things level 5 minutes later as Lyon surged to try for a comeback. Despite dominating the play, Lyon were held to one goal and missed a penalty to give Nice the draw they wanted. Lyon drop points for the third match in a row, and Nice keep their place in 19th.

It was another Bretagne derby as Lorient travelled the 120 KM down the E60 to Nantes, who had just returned victorious from Troyes. Lorient had also been fortunate midweek, however, as they sent Lens packing, beating them 1-0. Nantes needed the points more to be sure, as they saw themselves languishing in the danger zone just above relegation territory. It was to be the visitors day as Fabien Barthez let goals in from Andre-Pierre Gignac and Fabrice Abriel despite Nantes having the better of the possession and shots on net. Nantes continue to be dire, and they drop into 18th, back into the danger zone. Lorient hold up well in 11th.

There was nothing in the air that would suggest that PSG would be able to secure a win against Sochaux on Saturday afternoon at the Parc Des Princes. Paul Le Guen’s arrival had done nothing to inspire the club, with only a draw and a loss since he came down from Rangers not two weeks ago. Sochaux’ draw with Sedan midweek had been disappointing, but that said, they still stood tall in 5th and would have to fancy their chances against a side fraught with problems. The man of the match in this one was Sochaux’ keeper Teddy Richert, who frustrated the capital club time after time after furious pressure from PSG in the first half. Things settled into a rhythm after the half though, and the result was inevitablly nil-nil.

Rennes were back at Orient Road after sunning themselves midweek in Monaco and beating the principality side 2-0. Valenciennes’ home fixture with Le Mans had been less successful, dropping two points late in the match. Rennes saw themselves in 11th on the day, but knew that stringing together some results would mean they could climb the table rapidly, and Valenciennes needed points to stay above relegation danger. It was a scrappy match that saw Rennes’ Romain Danze score his first Ligue 1 goal only 6 minutes in. Rennes applied wave after wave of pressure, and Valenciennes were forced to play defense for most of the match. The one goal was all Rennes needed to take all three points, and they move up into 10th. Valenciennes drop to 15th on the day.

Sedan hosted Monaco after surprising Sochaux with a draw midweek, and though destined for Ligue 2, would have to feel they could get at least a point against Monaco, who slipped up against Rennes on Wednesday. Monaco needed all three points and were not about to take Sedan lightly, as the side had surprised better teams so far this season. All that Monaco needed to recover from last week’s slip up was a Jan Koller strike in the 2nd minute. Sedan were unable to make any headway in this match and they stay bottom of the table, and Monaco move back up into 13th.

Toulouse, sitting in 8th and moving up, had beaten a bottom table team and a top table team in their last two, and were on a bit of a run going into their home match against Troyes, who sat in 18th. Troyes knew with a win they might be able to leapfrog PSG out of the relegation territory, but they would also need a couple of goals to improve their differential. Troyes had beaten Nantes midweek, but would face a tougher challenge in the foothills of the Pyrenees. Troyes started well when Cedric Barbosa got his first of the season early on to get them the surprise lead. Toulouse’s Dominique Arribage drew things level 20 minutes later, but it was the home side who were frustrated as the match ended drawn. Toulouse’s bid for Europe hits a snag and they find themselves in 8th, while Troyes leapfrog into 17th.

Friday, January 26, 2007

Week of January 15 - 25

SCORES

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Ligue 1

January 17th

PSG 0-0 Toulouse

January 24th

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

January 25th

Nancy 0-2 St. Etienne

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Wednesday, January 17th saw the postponed match between PSG and Toulouse played out at Parc Des Princes with new PSG boss Paul Le Guen at the helm. Le Guen comes to a team desperately seeking a result, having not won a match in Ligue 1 since their October 28th fixture against Rennes. The capital club were without the services of new signing Marcelo Gallardo, as he was not a member of the team when the match was originally to be played. Toulouse had every reason to fancy their chances in this match, having just come off a huge win against Lyon not four days before. On the day, however, neither team had anything of an inspiring performance, least of all PSG. There was nothing doing for the side as they battled a Toulouse midfield that seemed more than happy with a draw after their big effort against Lyon on the weekend previous. The result keeps PSG in a dangerous position, and Toulouse sit in 9th on 28 points.

Marseille hosted Auxerre in the early match on Wednesday, January 24th. The southern side have improved their form of late, having won 3 of their last five, and looking a much better side than the one that free-fell through the standings in October and November. Marseille have also been the subject of takeover rumours of late, with Canadian Jack Kachkar launching a 115 million euro bid for the club, which looks likely to go through. Auxerre have been solidly mid-table all season, and looked unlikely to be challenging for anything, having now crashed out of the UEFA cup as well as being in 11th place in the French table on the day. The Stade Velodrome was empty this particular day, as Marseille took their punishment for fan misbehavior earlier in the season. The home side’s form was unaffected though, as Franck Ribery began the scoring only 8 minutes in. The Burgundy side put things level quickly, as Ireneusz Jelen scored not ten minutes later. Alas for Auxerre, their poor defense allowed Ribery through once more to get him a brace, and defender Taye Taiwo made it 3-1 as time expired. Marseille move into second on goal differential, and Auxerre slip to 13th.

 Lille came into their match with PSG having had a few mediocre results since their big win against AC Milan at the San Siro in Champions League play. They now saw themselves dropped down to 5th in the table, but only 1 point back of the European places. PSG, on the other hand, have been crashing miserably, and their form did not improve in their draw with Toulouse the past week. new manager Paul Le Guen has failed to inspire the listless side so far, and the day saw PSG slip to their first loss under his management. The listless and dull match was a battle of midfield drollery, until Lille were able to push through to a 1-0 win on a goal from midfielder Jean Makoun in the 76th minute. Les Dogues now sit in 4th, and PSG are only above the relegation spots thanks to a +1 goal differential over 18th place Troyes. One more loss will surely put them in relegation danger.

Lorient knew they would have a time of it when Lens came to town, and the visitors knew that every point was of utmost importance with Marseille all of the sudden breathing down their necks to secure second place. The day saw Lens with only three points up on Marseille, while Lorient were in 13th, and continued to make their case for staying the top flight despite two draws in their last two matches. Lorient, being the weaker side, played defense and would have settles for the draw, but Lens’ Nenad Kovacevic was sent off 25 minutes in, changing the balance of play. Subsequently, Lorient seized their chance to score straight away after halftime, and Rafik Saifi put in his 4th of the season to get the home side the win. Lens’ loss moves them down to third beneath Marseille, who are now on a terrific run of form.

Rennes travelled to the south coast for what was surely to be a tough match against a team that has been in decent form of late, Monaco. Monaco have beaten St. Etienne and drawn Lyon at the Gerland in their last two matches, and keep trying to make themselves comfortable above the relegation zone. Rennes dropped points to Marseille at home in their last match, and sat in 12th before their trip to Monaco. Fortunately for the visitors, this was to be their day, but not without a challenge. Jan Koller had two clear chances over the course of the match that should have been converted. Right after the half, Jimmy Briand and Etienne Didot were able to put their shots in the back of the net, giving Rennes a much needed win and moving them up a spot into 11th. Monaco, on the other hand, lose a little form but stay in 15th.

Another south coast match played out in Nice when giant-killers Toulouse came to visit. Toulouse didn’t have the luxury of having a week and a half to rest their squad like almost every other team in the league as a result of their postponed match with PSG. Nice came into this match in horrible form, and would certainly have been considered underdogs, having been sitting in 19th only two points above Sedan. The home side had the ideal chance to start things off right when they were awarded a penalty not 8 minutes in, but Lilian Laslandes failed to convert the opportunity. Nice had the majority of possession, but were unable to make good on it, and Toulouse’s Johan Elmander finished clinically 25 minutes in. Despite a multitude of chances, Toulouse’s defense held strong and they were able to win 1-0. Toulouse move into 8th, and Nice stay in the dangerous 19th spot.

Sedan still found themselves in the unenviable position of 20th in the table coming into their match against Sochaux who were shakily holding their 4th place position on the day. Sedan had surprised Lille three weeks ago but had been unable to string together any results all season, to their ultimate demise. Sochaux knew that without a win here, they were in danger of dropping quickly due to the closeness of every team in the top half of the table. As a surprise, Sedan’s Joseph Job struck first despite the home side having almost all the possession. Sedan almost made it 2-0 before Sochaux got their heads on straight and put forward their own successful attack, which saw Alvaro Dos Santos put things level. The home side were unable to get momentum going however, and things ended in a surprise draw, which sees Sedan stay at the bottom of the table, and Sochaux slip to 5th.

Troyes and Nantes are two teams that knew that they needed results to stay out of relegation danger, and both had had poor seasons to date. Troyes, with a win, could concievably leapfrog PSG into 17th, and Nantes in 16th were still in danger if they continued to drop any points. Nantes big wins against Nice and Toulouse had given them a bit of new life in the past weeks, but Troyes, Masters of the draw, knew they needed more to survive in the top flight. The first half saw both teams losing players to red cards and playing out the rest of the match with a much more open field. The hosts were awarded a penalty in the first half as well, but Benjamin Nivet was unable to convert. They were vindicated, however, as time expired as Gael Sanz beat Fabien Barthez to push them just a little closer to moving out of the relegation zone. Nantes still sit in a dangerous position, and need a result at the weekend if they want to make their case for staying up.

Valenciennes had been able to string together a couple of wins recently, and Le Mans, though 5 places above them in the table, were only three points up on them. Valenciennes heroic win over PSG after going down to ten men was still fresh in their minds, and Le Mans were in mediocre form at best. On this day however, it appeared that these were two teams that were completely even in terms of skill. Shots, Possession, all these were equal, and so was the scoreline, 1-1. Valenciennes made it 1-0 just before halftime, with Sebastien Roudet netting his third of the season to put the home side ahead. Just as time was about to expire however, Tulio De Melo scored his first to make things level for the visitors. The teams now sit at 14th and 10th, respectively.

Meanwhile, at the Stade Gerland, Lyon were eager to forget their little slip-up against Toulouse and focus on beating Bordeaux, who had been less-than-stellar of late after dropping out of Europe. Bordeaux’ win against Le Mans was their only real bright spot in their last five matches, while Lyon still led the table 14 points up on the nearest challengers. Despite completely dominating the statistics, and against all odds, Lyon slipped to a second consecutive defeat in Ligue 1. Pablo Francia scored for the visitors straight off when they were awarded a penalty when Remy Vercoutre challenged Jean-Claude Darcheville rather nastily. Bordeaux continued to surprise when Johan Micoud headed one past replacement keeper Vercoutre 25 minutes in. Lyon pulled out all the stops to put things level, including putting new boy Milan Baros on the pitch, but it was Fred who made the scoreline 2-1 in the 64th minute. However, it was not enough, and Lyon were handed their first home loss of the season.

The one Thursday match saw St. Etienne visiting Nancy at the Marcel Picot. Nancy were in 7th place coming into this match, but still only three points back of the European places and were eager to get back up there. St. Etienne have been surprising of late but needed to string some results together to make their case. This was their day then, as two goals after halftime took them up into 5th in the standings. Nancy dominated huge spells of the game, and should have come away with a point, but were unlucky, and they stay in 9th.

Sunday, January 14, 2007

Week of January 8 - 15

SCORES

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Ligue 1

January 13th

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

January 14th

St. Etienne 0-1 Monaco
Rennes 0-2 Marseille

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It’s been a nice couple of weeks for me, with a break from my football-writing duties, but I’m more than happy to get back into things.

The first match Saturday saw dire PSG host Valenciennes at the Parc Des Princes. PSG has been marred by all manner of terrible instances this season, all of which have been boiling to a head for many years now. Hooliganism is a disease that has spread through the entire fan structure, and the team’s performances have been poor to mediocre at best, and their woes leave them sitting in 16th, two points back of Valenciennes. PSG hoped the acquisition of Argentina midfielder Marcelo Gallardo could boost their performance over the second half of the season. Valenciennes had been languishing mid-table as well, and were looking to get another result on the fly against a team they had every chance against. Quality football was at a premium in the first half, but the beginning of the second saw Valenciennes’ Patrick Paauwe sent off after his second yellow card, and thing looked good for the home side. Shockingly for PSG though, Steve Savidan and Sebastien Roudet both scored after Valenciennes had been reduced to ten. PSG’s only consolation was a penalty scored by Pauleta as time ran out. The loss puts PSG in an awkward position, two points up of relegation territory.

Lille were sitting 4 points back of Lens on Saturday, distracted no doubt by their European campaign and preparations for next month’s Champion’s League matches against Manchester United. Lille dropped points in their last league match to mid-table Auxerre, and would want a better result against the second-place club. Lens recovered from their 4-0 loss to Lyon by beating Nice on the last match day before Christmas. Over the break, unproven youngster Adel Taarabt was loaned to Tottenham Hotspur from Lens, presumably Martin Jol saw something in him that no one else did. Lens nearly got off to a flying start with Eric Carriere missing a gimmie. Goals did not come until late in the match, with the visitors scoring forst on a strike by Bastos, but Lens Midfielder Jussie took it level six minutes from time to get Lens a point. Final score, 1-1.

Auxerre hosted Sochaux at the Stade Abbe-Deschamps in a match that saw the visitors two points back of Lens, contending for the second-place spot that most teams in Ligue 1 have occupied at least once this season. Auxerre were cemented in mid-table in 13th spot, while Sochaux beat Nancy on December 23rd, pushing themselves four points clear of the Lorraine side on the day. A battle for the midfield and evenly matched sides kept this one scoreless until the 86th minute, when Auxerre’s Ireneusz Jelen scored to secure them the three points and hurt Sochaux’ in their bid for Europe next year.

Bordeaux, tied for 7th with Nancy, were drawn against Lorient for their 20th league match of the season. The Girondins were five points up on Lorient on the day, and would need a win to keep pushing for the European places. Lorient have been one of the League’s big surprises this year, moving into a mid-table position and getting some big victories along the way, not bad for a newly-promoted team. It was them who scored first, with midfielder Rafik Saifi opening the scoring in the 37th minute. Bordeaux, however, had the better of the chances, getting twice the shots on goal that Lorient did, and their patience payed off when Maromane Chamakh drew things level to get the home side a well-deserved point.

Troyes, who have been less than stellar in the first half of the season, were looking to start the new year off fresh when they travelled to Le Mans to meet up with the team eight places up on them in the table. Draws with PSG and Rennes before Christmas were promising, but not enough to take them out of the relegation danger area. Le Mans, Lorient, and Toulouse were all tied for 10th on 24 points, showing just how clogged the middle of the table is in France. It was to be Le Mans’ day however, with Daisuke Matsui scoring right at the beginning and right at the end of the match. Troyes continued to struggle and Le Mans move all the way up to 9th on the day.

Nantes were just barely out of the relegation zone when they were afforded a golden opportunity to leapfrog PSG and get a little further from danger when they hosted Nice at La Beaujoire-Louis-Fonteneau Saturday afternoon. Nice were struggling in 19th, not having won since their derby with Marseille on October 29th, since which they had become masters of the draw, drawing five and losing two. Fabien Barthez got his first start for Nantes, but was on form, helping the home side keep a clean sheet. Nantes had the bulk of the chances, but it looked as though this one would end nil-nil when Luigi Pieroni scored to give them the winner on literally the last kick of the match. Nice now sit in 19th, only 2 points up on last-place Sedan.

It was a mismatch to be sure when Nancy travelled to Sedan 16 points ahead of the home side, and not looking to drop any points against the League’s bottom feeders. Sedan, on the other hand, were looking for the same spark that caused them to spring the surprise 2-0 result on Marseille in mid-December at the Stade Louis-Dugauguez. It looked as though Sedan would pull an upset though, as Nicholas Marin converted a penalty 21 minutes in, followed quickly by former Middlesbrough striker Joseph-Desire Job scoring to put Sedan 2-0 up. Nancy applied the pressure effectively in the second half and claimed the ball and most of the chances. Chretien and Puygrenier leveled things up but Nancy were unable to get more than that, and the match ended 2-2. A good result for Sedan, not so much for Nancy.

Toulouse, having started the season well, had dropped all the way down to be involved in the three-way tie for 10th. That said, with half a season left to play, the tight French league is just the place to move up quickly by stringing a few results together. Lyon is not the club one wants to meet in this position, however, and if history was any indication, Lyon would come away from Toulouse with all three points, having lost only one match in the league all season, and drawing just two. History, however, refused to be repeated as Toulouse bravely held on for 61 minutes, surviving a salvo of shots from Lyon before taking the lead when Achille Emana scored to give the home side the lead. Twenty Minutes later, Toulouse’s Johan Elmander got the shock second goal to put things out of reach. Toulouse move up to 10th and the loss hardly sets Lyon back, as they sit pretty 14 points up on nearest rivals Lens.

Sunday morning brought steadily recovering Monaco to St. Etienne with the Principality side high off of their draw with Lyon just before the Christmas break, and their unforeseen rise in the table, where they now sit above PSG after being written off at the beginning of the season. St. Etienne are surprising everyone by sitting in 4th, two points back of Sochaux. This match would be one the home side would fancy their chances in, and have the opportunity to push into 3rd. Despite having more shots on goal and the advantage in posession, St. Etienne were thwarted in their effort by a 66th minute headed goal from Monaco’s Jan Koller. Monaco’s resurgence under Laurent Banide continues to astound, and they sit in a much more positive 15th after starting the season at the bottom.

Rennes v. Marseille was the last match of Sunday, and with Marseille beginning to recover from their free-fall in the standings not two months ago, they looked the more dangerous side, especially with Djibril Cisse beginning to find his legs again after a long time off. Rennes would want more than the two draws that they had managed before the break, and inch themselves up the table for the second half of the season. The first half saw both teams playing open football with Rennes getting two good chances on goal until Stephane M'Bia was sent off and the home side was reduced to ten. Marseille took full advantage after the half, with Djibril Cisse starting the scoring at 58 minutes, and even though Rennes had quality chances to equalize, former Rennes striker Toifilou Maoulida rubbed salt into the home side’s wounds by making it 2-0 just before time. Rennes slip to 12th, and Marseille find themselves back up in third place.