Week of March 12-19

SCORES

——————————————————————————

Ligue 1

March 17

Sochaux 4-2 Toulouse
Nancy 0-3 Lyon
Lille 0-2 Le Mans
Marseille 3-0 Nice
Monaco 2-1 Nantes
Sedan 1-1 Bordeaux
St. Etienne 3-1 Troyes
Valenciennes 0-0 Lorient

March 18

Auxerre 1-0 Lens
Rennes 1-0 PSG

——————————————————————————

Sochaux had the pleasure of hosting Toulouse in the earlier match on Saturday at the Geoffrey-Guichard. Both teams were in great table positions, with Toulouse in 4th and Sochaux just three points behind in 6th. Last week had seen Sochaux unable to score away from home at Bordeaux, and Toulouse would have liked something more than the one point they earned against Monaco. Sebastien Grax scored for Sochaux 22 minutes in, his 2nd of the season. That goal unleashed a torrent of Sochaux goals that saw Michaël Isabey, Jerome Leroy, and Grax's second of the match in the next 40 minutes. Socaux scored 4 times in a total of 7 shots on the day. Toulouse, stunned, were good to score two in the last two minutes of the match. Fode Mansare and Achille Emana scored to make the final score 4-2. Sochaux now sit in 5th, tied on points for the European places. Toulouse were more unfortunate, as their result drops them down to 6th.

The term "The Doldrums" may well apply to where AS Nancy Lorraine's season has gone since their high point in second place back on October. They now sat in 13th, and lost to a dismal Nantes side last weekend. Lyon were another team in trouble, they were crawling to the finish line and would be thankful for the 13 point buffer they had over Lens in 1st place. Lyon's draw with Marseille was a result they would like to forget here. As it happened, Nancy were unable to make anything happen on this day either. Lyon played a bit sluggishly for most of the first half until Milan Baros broke through in the 36th minute. Despite having the lead, Lyon waited until the 76th minute, when Kim Kallstrom scored, followed closely by a well taken Fred strike. The 3-0 win leaves Lyon 16 points clear, but Nancy now drop a place into 14th.

Last week Lille played to a boring nil-nil draw at Lorient, something the Lorient fans were used to, but not so much the Lille fans. The result left them still in 3rd, but now 6 points back of Lens. Le Mans would see this as an opportunity to grab some points, especially after they held off St. Etienne in a tight 2-1 victory. Le Mans were now in 9th, and were making a little push for the end of the season. Les Dogues put forward a big first half push, and they tried for goal 17 times on the match, but could not convert. Le Mans were a little more accurate, but not until the dying minutes, when Ismael Bangoura and Grafite broke down the Lille defence to get Le Mans the three points, denting Lille's European hopes a little. Lille drop into the 4th place UEFA Cup spot, and Le Mans keep on rolling.

Marseille hadn't been able to beat fierce rivals Lyon last weekend, and their lack of confidence was beginning to show. 8th in the table was not where they wanted to be, and they would hope that the new Canadian money being thrown their way would help next year's campaign out considerably. Nice were a potential banana peel for Marseille at this point, because their 16th place table position was misleading. This Nice side were in a fierce battle to stay up and were unbeaten in 6. Marseille were up for this match, and Mamadou Niang popped in a goal 6 minutes in, followed 10 minutes later by midfielder Renato Civelli. Niang kept the ball rolling into the net just before halftime to get a well-deserved brace and shutting Nice out in the first half. Nice had nothing against their derby rivals, but stay in 16th place. Marseille end a 7 game winless streak with a big win.

Monaco were beginning to slow after a run that had taken them mid-table after their abysmal start this season. Their trip to Toulouse had resulted in a 1-1 draw, and they slipped into 14th, 6 points above the drop. Nantes' visit was important for them, because even though they beat Nancy 2-1 last weekend, they still sat in 18th only one point above PSG and could get themselves out of relegation territory with a win. Nantes looked to be getting things done early on when Frëdëric Da Rocha got his 3rd of the season, but Monaco's Diego Perez and Gael Givet had something to say about that before the end of the half. The teams were very evenly matched on the day, but Nantes could not get anything back in the second half, and Monaco took the points, moving them up into an impressive 10th place. Nantes still sat in 18th, but a win from PSG would drive them deeper.

Bordeaux' trip down to the Stade Louis-Dugauguez would be to meet up with a team that had been able to make things happen lately, despite their terrible season, Sedan. Bordeaux would want to do better than Lens against this team and lift themselves up into Europe again. Sedan could conceivably leapfrog PSG and get off the bottom of the table with three points, but it was certainly a tall order. Perennial Bordeaux scorer and good old boy Jean-Claude Darcheville netted the first of the match in the 28th minute, but Sedan were crappy and Mansour Boutabout got one back just after the half. A vital point gained against another top club leaves Sedan happy, and Bordeaux move up into 3rd on the day.

St. Etienne had been battling with themselves a bit since their tumultuous match with Lyon a few weeks ago, and last week things got worse when they lost to Le Mans and dropped to 7th. Troyes were fighting for their Ligue 1 lives, and would not want to give up anything in this match, siting just a mere point above the drop after losing to Valenciennes 3-1. The home side shook off their shackles right quick when Pascal Feindouno scored in the 2nd minute, dominating the visitors. Bafetimbi Gomis continued the high in the 17th minute, and even when Troyes' Benjamin Nivet was awarded a penalty to make it 2-1, the home side came back right after the half when Fredy Guarin was credited with his first of the year. The 3-1 win keeps St. Etienne in 7th, and Troyes remain balanced precariously in 17th.

Lorient were playing boring football when they made the trip to Valenciennes to meet a team that had gotten back their scoring touch against Troyes last weekend. Lorient had drawn 0-0 with Lille and now sat in 12th, and Valenciennes knew they could drop back into relegation if any teams below them had any luck. Unfortunately for the teams and most of all the fans, this match was doomed as well, ending nil-nil. Lorient continue being pathetic bums, giving me nothing to write about, and Valenciennes don't help their relegation fight much, still sitting in 15th.

Sunday's first match was in Auxerre, where the home team was on a bit of a high after beating PSG 1-0 last weekend and rising into the top half of the table. Lens were a little more unfortunate, drawing with Sedan when they could have been gaining ground on struggling Lyon. The home side went out looking to find the net, which they did in the 15th minute when Thomas Kahlenberg got it right. Lens were not themselves at all on the match, and did little to liven up a humdrum affair at the Abbe-Deschamps. Only 4 shots on net were registered by the visitors, but the finishing was not there. The 1-0 result leaves Lens in the 2nd place, but only 1 point up on Bordeaux now. Auxerre move up to 10th,

Rennes were on a rather poor run of form when PSG came to visit Orient Road on Sunday, and last week's draw with Nice meant they now slipped into 11th on the day. PSG were stuck in the mire but good now, and a loss here, like their loss to Auxerre last weekend, would spell serious disaster for the capital club, now sitting in 19th. A scrappy, evenly matched game ensued, but it was Rennes who finally broke the deadlock when Jimmy Briand scored in the 75th minute. PSG had nothing to counter with, and with Bernard Mendy's sending off in the 90th minute, they lost again, and now sit just one point above 20th place Sedan. Rennes move back to 11th, 3 points back of a European place.

Week of March 5-12

SCORES

——————————————————————————

UEFA Champions League

March 6

Lyon 0-2 Roma

March 7

Manchester United 1-0 Lille

Ligue 1

March 10

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

March 11

Lens 1-1 Sedan
PSG 0-1 Auxerre
Lyon 1-1 Marseille

——————————————————————————

Lyon were back at the Stade Gerland with everything to play for against AS Roma. The 0-0 draw in Rome was a perfect place to be for them and they had it all to do at home. Lyon came out in good form, with Juninho putting the fear of God into Roma with a few well taken free-kicks. But it was Roma's talisman, Francesco Totti, who drew first blood in the 22nd minute. While Lyon were trying to regroup, however, Alessandro Mancini got Roma's second to make it 2-0. Despite a few tactical substitutions, Gerard Houllier's side were unable to get anything happening, even though they had the bulk of the shots in the match. Roma defended well, and in the end they knocked out the French champions by an aggregate of 2-0.

Lille, for all they whined and complained after their home loss to Manchester United, had to come up with 2 goals at Old Trafford to advance to the next round. UEFA had rejected their appeals over and over again, and United were not rising to their bait. As tough as this match was, Lille had the advantage in many aspects of this game, most conspicuously shots on goal. However, the only goal of the game came from Henrik Larsson in his last match for Manchester United. A fitting exit for a brilliant striker, and United poach another one on the trot. Lille go back to focusing on their league form, where they sit in 3rd.

——————————————————————————

Toulouse were the early match on Saturday when they had Monaco visit them. Both teams had been part and parcel of dull nil-nil draws against Bordeaux and Valenciennes, respectively. Toulouse sat in 4th coming into this one, in the UEFA cup place, and Monaco, despite a loss, a win, and a draw in their last 3 matches, were still a quality side. A side that needed a win, now sitting in 14th. Toulouse had Monaco on their back heel for the entire first half, and looked the more dangerous side throughout. A dangerous free kick enabled Jérémy Mathieu to start off the scoring as Toulouse went one up. A critical second half substitution for Monaco proved fortuitous as Jan Koller scored his 6th of the year to level things off. In the end, the teams shared the points, to the benefit of Monaco first and foremost.

Off-and-on Bordeaux hosted Sochaux with both teams sitting on 40 points, and within striking distance of Europe. Bordeaux were part of the weekend of draws when they drew Toulouse 0-0, and Sochaux had a disappointing loss at home to Nantes, a team that should have been a pushover. This day belonged to Bordeaux, and they delighted the home fans when Johan Micoud scored at the stroke of halftime to give them the lead. Sochaux had nothing on the day, and after being on the back foot for most of the match, they had to watch as Bordeaux' Fernando Cavenaghi got his first of the season in the 90th minute to put the nail in the coffin. The result allowed Bordeaux to leapfrog Sochaux, tied now for a European place again.

St. Etienne were happy to go on the road to Le Mans and forget the crowd trouble that marred last week's match against Lyon at their home ground. Lyon had walked over them by a scoreline of 3-1, and the fans had gotten rather restless, with injury and nonsense ensuing. Le Mans' trip to Nancy had been unsuccessful as well, but they had come away with at least a point, and were now sitting in 11th. Le Mans midfielder Mathieu Coutadeur made his first contribution to the scoresheet this season to put the home side ahead in the 43rd minute. On a high after the half, Le Mans' Ismail Bangoura got his 13th goal of the season to make it 2-0. St. Etienne had nothing to respond with until Bafetimbi Gomis scored in the 82nd minute, but it was too late for the visitors. Final score, 2-1.

Lorient had been holding steady for most of the campaign, but had been a bit of a slump of late that saw them now sitting in 13th, only 5 points above the relegation zone. Their home match against Lille would be less than a foxtrot, as Lille would be hungry for Europe again after being dumped out over the week by Manchester United. Lille had met up with Troyes and destroyed them in the league last weekend 4-0, and were still in a healthy 4th position. This match had nothing in it, however, and the home fans got to be bored to tears by a Lorient side that has had some trouble scoring of late. Lille would be unhappy with this as well, as it made catching up to Lens just that much tougher.

In Brittany, Nantes played host to Nancy in a match that they had to win as they were sitting in 19th and needed every point they could get. Nancy's form of late had been poor, and they now sat in 10th after their draw with Le Mans last weekend. This was a far cry from the 2nd place they had briefly enjoyed early in the season. Nantes got things started when Mamadou Diallo got a rare goal in the 35th minute. 4 minutes later, however, Nancy came right back at them when Midfielder Jonathan Brison got an even rarer goal, his first of the campaign. After halftime things were rather tense but La Beaujoire-Louis-Fonteneau erupted when Emerse Fae made his contribution to put the home side back ahead. That was how things ended, and now Nantes make things interesting by moving up into 18th, pending the PSG result.

Rennes travelled to the Municipal du Ray in Nice to play a team that was certainly on a roll. Unbeaten in their last 5, Nice had shown some serious quality to get themselves out of the relegation mire and up into 15th. Rennes were slumping a little after a fantastic run, and had lost two in a row, including last week's match against Auxerre. Rennes scored first, against the run of play, when Jimmy Briand got a goal just 15 minutes in, but an unafraid Nice were not deterred from getting one back courtesy of Marama Vahirua just after halftime. Nice showed positive form the entire match and fully deserved the point. 1-1 was the final, and the teams now sit in 10th and 16th.

The last match of Saturday was hardly destined to be a cracker, but Valenciennes' trip to Troyes was one they needed three points from lest they fall back into the relegation mire. Their draw with Toulouse last weekend was not enough to give them any sort of safety. Troyes was another team that had done well to get out of the danger zone, but sat only a place above Valenciennes in the table and one slip up could be costly for them as well. A tense first half culminated with Valenciennes' absurdly named Midfielder Yacine Bezzaz pulling one for the visitors. That was all that they needed to go on a roll, and second half goals from Sébastien Roudet and Laurent Dufresne were enough to secure the victory, despite Troyes' David Gigliotti getting one back in the 90th minute. Valenciennes got just what they needed and now move up to a much safer 15h on the day.

Sedan had shocked PSG back into brutal reality last weekend, shining with a 2-0 win at home, momentarily sitting in 19th place. THe side would be eager to get a result here again, but Lens were a completely different story from PSG. Lens beat Marseille last weekend and were now 6 domestic matches without a loss. Gregory Pujol, Sedan's in-form striker, put the fear into Lens' hearts when he struck gold just 2 minutes into the match. Despite the initial setback, Lens were clearly the better team, dominating the play and struck back at the half-hour mark courtesy of Seydou Keita. The teams stayed level thanks to some astute defending by Sedan, and 1-1 was how it ended. Sedan resign themselves to 20th for another week, and Lens still sit comfortably in 2nd.

PSG had it all to do at the Parc des Princes Sunday evening against Auxerre. Their shameful loss to Sedan last weekend had pulled them down into the mire of Relegation territory, sitting in 18th. Auxerre surprised Rennes last weekend as well, beating them 1-0, and now sitting in 12th. Despite having the edge in the match as a whole, PSG just could not finish, and Auxerre finally broke through just before halftime when defender Younes Kaboul took advantage of a critical defensive erroe by PSG to put them in the lead. That was all that either team had going on on the day, and the result pushes PSG further into the mire, into 19th courtesy of Nantes' fortuitous win on Saturday. Auxerre sit in 14th, still safe for now.

The marquee match of the weekend was surely Lyon vs. Marseille. The league leaders had assaulted Marseille 4-1 earlier in the season, and the visitors would be looking for revenge. Lyon crashed out of Europe earlier in the week, but had won their tumultuous derby with St. Etienne last weekend. Marseille had had a bit of a slip up against Lens, losing 1-0 and now sat in 8th. Lyon started things off by dominating the play, and Milan Baros scored in the 20th minute to get things going for the hosts. Unfortunately they were thwarted 2 minutes from time when Mamadou Niang beat Gregory Coupet to get Marseille the point. The result probably won't hurt Lyon's title chances, but it does complete a dire week for them as they slump once again.

Week Of February 26 - March 5

SCORES

——————————————————————————

Ligue 1

March 3

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

March 4

Sochaux 1-2 Nantes
Marseille 0-1 Lens

——————————————————————————

The early match on Saturday was certainly one of the better ones on the bill. St. Etienne had been crushed by Rennes two weeks ago, but got back on the horse last weekend beating PSG handily, 2-0. Lyon have been nothing like the team they were last year, and will now have to win Ligue 1 based on their outstanding form in the first half of the season. Their 3-3 draw with Sochaux got them a point, but it was hardly the outstanding performance the team of old could have given. Lyon have not lost this derby since 1995, and his match gave them no cause for concern. First half goals from Kim Kallstrom and Tiago, followed by Fred curling a perfect free kick early in the second. The scoreline sent the crowd at the Stade Geoffrey-Guichard into a frenzy at the 52nd minute, when Flares and Tear Gas were thrown from stand to stand, and a 20 minute break had to be taken to settle the crowd down. Lyon sat back after the players got back on the pitch, and although St. Etienne's Bafetimbi Gomis got a consolation goal in the 80th minute, it wasn't enough for the local rivals, and St. Etienne slip to 7th on the day.

Nancy came back to get the draw on their trip to Lens last week, and they now sat in 10th. The free fall they were in seemed to have stopped, but their overall form was shaky at best. Le Mans would be hopeful to get something on their visit, but their home loss to Monaco last week meant that they now sat in 11th, just beneath Nancy and just above Lorient on Goal Differential. This one turned out to be a classically subdued mid-table clash between two sides who clearly weren't willing to play too hard. Nancy Defender Damian Macaluso got the first goal of the match off a set piece in the 37th minute for his second goal of the season. The sides played a little long-ball for a while, and then Le Mans finally got one back in the 72nd minute when Grafite got his 8th this year. That was how things ended, and the result left the teams in the exact table positions they started with

Last week Rennes were shocked by struggling Sedan at the Orient Road, losing 2-0 in a match that they should have won if you believe the match statistics. This week they had to make the trip to Auxerre, who drew with Nantes in a tie that should have seen them get all three points as well, but now they sat in a dire 14th place. This match had nothing to get excited about, and the fans let the players know it at half time, with the boo-birds out in full force. It was substitute and leading scorer Ireneusz Jelen who finally broke through for Auxerre in the 65th minute. A few awkward chances later for both sides and the match was done with the home side taking all three points and lifting them to a safer 12th position. Rennes stay in 9th thanks to a massive table shift at the bottom and the top.

Troyes could now have picked a better time to visit Lille. The home side were in their poorest form of the year, and hadn't gotten a win out of any of their last 6 matches, and last week dropped points to lowly Nice. Troyes had done well over the past few weeks, slowly putting together results and getting themselves out of relegation danger. They now sat in 15th, but they still needed all three points here to keep things safe. Unfortunately for the visitors, Lille took this opportunity to get back on the horse. Les Dogues looked the winning side from the get go, and Troyes were only able to get 4 shots in the entire match, despite having 51% of the possession. Lille's Abdul Kader Keita and Stephane Dumont both achieved a brace with three of the goals coming before half time. Dumont got his second just one minute after the break to nail the coffin shut for good. Troyes now drop to 16th, and Lille move back into the 3rd position after a week's absence.

Nice lifted themselves out of the relegation zone last weekend with a huge win over Lille, and now sat in 16th, but only 2 points above the drop. Lorient had had a lot of success over the season at home, but their loss to Troyes last week dented their confidence a little, and they were now sitting in 12th. Both sides suffered a bit of a setback here though, with this one playing to an uninspired goalless draw, meaning that both thanks to other uninspired bottom-half performances, Nice move up a place to 15th, and Lorient are down to 13th and falling.

Monaco hosted Bordeaux at the Louis II with both teams coming off of wins last weekend. Monaco vs. Le Mans, and Bordeaux vs. Valenciennes. Bordeaux could get back into Europe with all three points here, but Monaco would be content to hold on in 13th, even though they too were only 5 points above the relegation scrap. Neither team wanted the points however, and though there was many chances, a lack of finishing was the order of the day. Another 0-0 draw leaves Bordeaux in 6th, and Monaco drop to 14th.

Sedan were looking doomed for relegation, but were relishing taking points off the top teams by surprising them into thinking they would be a pushover. They did just that to Rennes last week, and would love to pull PSG into the relegation mire here with a win or even a draw. PSG were teetering precariously, sitting in 17th, but only on their superior goal differential over Valenciennes. Only 6 minutes in disaster struck for when Gregory Pujol's header found the back of the net via PSG goalkeeper Mickael Landreau after seven minutes of play. Shocked, PSG picked up the pace, but some superb goalkeeping by Stephane Trevisan kept the scoreline 1-0. Sedan were clearly the better side in the second half, and Mansour Boutabout broke through in the 74th minute to finish PSG off, getting Sedan all three points. The shock result moves Sedan off the bottom for first time in anyone's memory, into 19th, leapfrogging Nantes for the time being. PSG drop into relegation territory for the first time in the season, sitting on 28 points.

Valenciennes had Toulouse at home in a match they had to win to get themselves out of the relegation mire. The home side had lost to Bordeaux last week, and thanks to positive results for Nice and Troyes, saw themselves sitting in 18th. Toulouse thrashed Marseille 3-0 last Saturday and now were in 3rd, their highest spot of the season. Nobody was thrashing anybody on this day though, with the match ending 0-0. Valenciennes were clearly the better side to take the point off one of the most in-form teams in the league. They dominated possession and shots on goal, and things just got worse for Toulouse when Johan Elmander was red-carded in the 85th minute. The result get Valenciennes out of the mire thanks to PSG's loss to Sedan, and Toulouse drop to 4th.

Sunday afternoon Nantes made the trip to Sochaux. Sochaux had been in and out of the European places all season, but thanks to their draw with Lyon last weekend they now sat in 4th on 40 points. Nantes season was all but over, even with their point last week. 19th place on 23 points would be one big mountain to climb, and they would need a little luck to make sure they would be back for top flight football next season. Dimitri Payet started things off by getting the visitors one-up in the 23rd minute, but not ten minutes later Nantes conceded a stupid penalty, which Alvaro Santos promptly converted to put things on level terms. Sochaux's fortunes waned in the second half though, and Claudio Keseru popped one in in the 51st minute to give Nantes the win. Sochaux were extremely unlucky not to win here, and had the bulk of possession and chances, but were unable to finish. Nantes got the three points they needed, and Sochaux slip up, and down the table they tumble.

The match that had the biggest table implications was surely Lens v. Marseille. Lens drew with AS Nancy last week but still sat in second and would thrive on this matchup. Marseille had been pushed over by Toulouse last weekend 3-0, and had showed little of the quality that they knew they were capable of. This match was exactly what this weekend needed, more boredom. Most likely this one would have finished 0-0 as well were it not for the fact that Lens were awarded a penalty in 59th minute. Aruna Dindane finished well, and it was all that Lens needed to get the three points and stay in 2nd. Marseille are now sitting in 8th.