Minnows Colmar stun Lille in French Cup

January 23, 2010

High-flying Lille crashed out of the French Cup in the round of 64 on Saturday after losing an epic penalty shootout 10-9 to 10-man Colmar of the Championnat de France Amateurs (fourth tier).

The game finished 0-0 after 90 minutes and Colmar, who play in the same division as Lille’s reserves, were forced to play extra time with 10 men after midfielder Cedric Faivre was shown a second yellow card for attempting to score with his hand.

The extra 30 minutes also failed to yield a goal and after each side scored four penalties in the shootout, sudden death ensued.

Lille captain Stephane Dumont, who scored his first penalty, drilled his side’s 11th spotkick against the post, enabling Salim Mezriche to put his team into the next round and dump Ligue 1’s third-placed side out of the competition.

It was Colmar’s second consecutive penalty shootout success in the tournament, after their victory over second-tier Metz in the previous round.

They will play Ligue 1 strugglers Boulogne-sur-Mer in the next round.

The top-flight’s bottom club Grenoble turned the tables on the season’s surprise package Montpellier, beating them 3-2 after extra time to join Colmar in the last 32.

The sides were drawing 1-1 at half-time and 2-2 at full-time, but Nassim Akrour struck just before the extra time interval to prolong Grenoble’s cup adventure.

“This qualification is a little ray of sunshine for us,” said Grenoble coach Mecha Bazdarevic, whose side are 13 points from safety in the league.

“It was a real cup tie in every sense.”

Earlier, Beauvais of the Championnat National (third tier) booked their place in the last 16 by beating nine-man Agen 3-0.

Rennes, last season’s beaten finalists, were the first side to qualify for the round of 16 when they won 4-0 at fifth-division Saumur on Friday evening.

Defending French champions and current league leaders Bordeaux take on Corsican Ligue 2 outfit Ajaccio later on Saturday.

PARIS (AFP)

Tags: Ajaccio, Bordeaux, Cedric Faivre, championnat de france, colmar, cup tie, drawing 1, extra time, France, france amateurs, french cup, Grenoble, league leaders, ligue 2, Lille, metz, minnows, Montpellier, PARIS, penalty shootout, ray of sunshine, Rennes, saumur, surprise package, time interval, yellow card

French giants out to avoid Cup slip-up

January 23, 2010

French title rivals Bordeaux and Lyon can take a break from their league exertions this weekend as the former look to avoid a potential banana skin in the French Cup while Lyon have an awkward trip to Monaco.

With an eight-point cushion in the league after their midweek come-from-behind win over bottom club Grenoble, Bordeaux boss Laurent Blanc was Thursday happily admitting he didn’t even have a transfer window wish list – “though maybe a joker to cover an injury would be a good thing.”

With a last 16 Champions League pair of encounters against Olympiakos to look forward to, a home round of 32 loss Saturday to second division Ajaccio would not exactly torpedo Bordeaux’s season.

The club have won the trophy three times – compared to a record ten for Marseille.

Marseille themselves are now out of the Champions League as well as the Cup, meaning their priority is hacking away at an 11-point gap in Ligue 1 as they try to land a first trophy of any description in 18 years.

Bordeaux should be at full strength save for keeper Cedric Carrasso, who injured a wrist against Marseill last week.

“We aren’t going to take any risk with him,” said Blanc.

Veteran Ulrich Rame will stand in between the posts.

Lyon travel down to Monaco on Sunday with coach Claude Puel urging them on after Wednesday’s recovery from going behind at Lorient.

Swede Kim Kallstrom scored a brace in a recovery which brought a 3-1 win and Puel on Thursday pronounced himself “very happy with the way the group showed this healthy reaction (to going a goal down) and showed their true colours.”

Puel will be particularly keen for a win at Monaco having previously coached the Riviera side, leading them to the league title at the start of the millennium.

Paris Saint Germain, mired in midtable following their home loss this week to Monaco, will only hope that third division Evian do not heap further misery upon them.

Coach Antoine Kombouare admits that “we are not talking about Europe,” but an eighth Cup success would prove a tonic.

Kombouare says if his men play as they did in losing 1-0 to Monaco, however, they have no chance.

“We could have played for three hours and not scored,” he lamented.

With the bad weather having made a mess of the previous round several round of 64 matches remain to be played, hence Saumur got the ball rolling in the round of 32 on Friday (Rennes defeated Saumur 4-0) before Saturday and Sunday see a mixture of both rounds together.

Round of 32 fixtures

Saturday

Beauvais v Agen

Quevilly v Angers

Bordeaux v Ajaccio

Raon l’Etape v Vesoul

Sunday

Mulhouse v Guingamp

Paris SG v Evian

Monaco v Lyon

Round of 64 matches

Saturday

Grenoble v Montpellier

Colmar v Lille

St Ouen l’Aumone v Sedan

Compiegne v Lens

St Louis Neuweg v Sochaux

Pontivy v Brest

Sunday

Thiers v Nancy

St Etienne v Lorient

PARIS (AFP)

Tags: Angers, Antoine Kombouare, banana skin, Beauvais, Bordeaux, bottom club, Cedric Carrasso, claude puel, Europe, Evian, exertions, french cup, french title, full strength, gap, Germain, Grenoble, kim kallstrom, laurent blanc, Ligue 1, Lille, Lorient, Marseille, midweek, Monaco, Montpellier, Mulhouse, Nancy, Olympiakos, paris saint germain, point cushion, point gap, Rennes, rivals, ST. LOUIS, swede, Ulrich Rame

Free-scoring Lille put pressure on Bordeaux

January 17, 2010

Lille stretched their winning run to eight matches in all competitions and closed to within six points of French league leaders Bordeaux by beating Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 on Saturday.

Rudi Garcia’s side prevailed through goals from Ludovic Obraniak, Florent Balmont and Franck Beria to consolidate second place but Bordeaux can re-establish their lead when they host title rivals Marseille on Sunday.

On the first weekend programme of fixtures after the winter break, Lyon got their season back on track with a 2-0 win at Nancy while Montpellier beat Nice 1-0 to hold onto third place in the table, a point shy of Lille.

PSG were fresh from their shock League Cup defeat at second-tier Guingamp in mid-week and they quickly fell behind at Lille when Polish international Obraniak lashed a sixth-minute snapshot into the bottom-right corner.

Obraniak created Lille’s second in the 52nd minute, seizing on Marcos Ceara’s fluffed clearance and picking out Balmont with a measured left-wing cross that the midfielder converted emphatically.

Defender Beria added a third with a deft header from five yards out to give Lille their 26th goal in their last seven Ligue 1 games with Mevlut Erding replying late on for Paris.

Lyon received an early reprieve at Nancy when Issiar Dia was erroneously denied the opening goal by the linesman’s flag after breaking the offside trap, deftly hurdling Hugo Lloris in the Lyon goal and tapping home.

Cris kept the visitors in the game in the second half by diverting Youssouf Hadji’s shot onto a post and in the 78th minute the Brazilian centre-back turned goalscorer when he stabbed home following a right-wing corner from Michel Bastos.

A similar Bastos delivery brought the goal that sealed victory for Claude Puel’s men three minutes from time with substitute Maxime Gonalons supplying the finishing touch. Lyon climb to fourth in the standings.

Montpellier overcame Nice thanks to a contender for untidiest goal of the season from Souleymane Camara, who toe-poked in from close range after an undignified goalmouth scramble in the 58th minute.

Two late strikes by league top scorer Nene – his 11th and 12th of the season – gave Monaco a 1-0 win at Sochaux that moves them fifth but Auxerre slipped to sixth after being held to a 0-0 draw at home to Boulogne.

The basement battle at bottom club Grenoble saw Saint-Etienne emerge with a 2-1 victory that lifts them three points above the relegation zone, after a match marred by clashes between police and away fans.

Les Verts took a 2-0 lead through Loic Perrin and a delightful chipped finish by Emmanuel Riviere but the hosts immediately halved the deficit when Cedric Varrault put through his own goal and should have equalised 15 minutes from time when Danijel Ljuboja headed wide from barely a yard.

In the day’s remaining games, Lorient won 3-0 at Le Mans, who are now third-bottom, Rennes were held 1-1 at home to Lens and Toulouse won 3-1 at Valenciennes.

PARIS (AFP)

Tags: balmont, bastos, Bordeaux, bottom right corner, Ceara, cedric varrault, claude puel, Emmanuel Riviere, finishing touch, french league, Germain, Grenoble, Hugo Lloris, league leaders, Ligue 1, Lille, linesman, Ludovic Obraniak, Marcos Ceara, Marseille, Michel Bastos, midfielder, Monaco, Montpellier, Nice, offside trap, PARIS, paris lyon, paris saint germain, psg, Rennes, reprieve, rudi garcia, saint etienne, six points, Toulouse, winter break

No festive cheer for Lyon, Marseille as Bordeaux win

December 24, 2009

Lyon and Marseille went into the Christmas recess nursing severe headaches after collapsing to home defeats to Montpellier and Auxerre respectively on Wednesday.

Multiple champions Lyon slipped to sixth place after a 2-1 loss to one of the season’s surprise packages Montpellier, while Marseille fell 2-0 to Auxerre.

Lille, who enjoyed a 4-0 goal spree at Nancy, jumped into second, on 34 points, nine behind Bordeaux who extended their lead with a 2-1 win over Toulouse in Wednesday’s late kick-off.

Montpellier go into third on 33 points, one point clear of Marseille and Auxerre with struggling Lyon 13 points off the top.

The dominant force of the past decade, Lyon have now won just once in their last eight league matches and their title challenge and morale appears to be fading by the week.

Lyon, who are at least into the knockout stages of the Champions League, slipped up due to second half goals from Colombian striker Victor Montano and Joris Marveaux with Bafetimbi Gomis getting their only contribution.

This will be the first time Lyon have reached the midway point of the season without figuring in the top three since the 2002-2003 campaign.

The only source of comfort for the seven-time titleholders will be that they ended up champions that season.

The fans at the Stade Gerland are becoming furstrated, and whistled manager Claude Puel’s name when it was announced before kick-off.

The mood wasn’t much better down on the south coast at the Velodrome.

Marseille, who had been unable to beat 10-man Saint Etienne on their last outing, disappointed again with Auxerre’s three points coming from Denis Oliech’s double.

Before the game Marseille had deemed “insufficient” an offer from Greek side Olympiakos for winger Hatem Ben Arfa.

At Nancy Ivory Coast international Gervinho bagged two of Lille’s four goals to jump to the top of the French first division scoring charts with an 11-goal haul.

This was Lille’s sixth consecutive win.

There was festive cheer meanwhile up in the French capital where Paris Saint Germain dished out a 4-0 drubbing to basement club Grenoble to improve their prospects of playing in Europe next term.

Later Bordeaux, already assured of the summit at the midway stage of the season, were on the back foot after just four minutes when Toulouse’s Paulo Mechado found the back of the net.

Marouane Chamakh had the champions back level five minutes later with Brazilian winger Wendel grabbing the 75th minute winner.

“Frankly this is extraordinary!” said Chamakh.

“We’re enjoying a pretty good first half of the season, now we have to continue like that and retain the same spirit.”

Down at the foot Le Mans just managed to stay out of the relegation zone occupied by Grenoble, Boulogne and Saint Etienne, with a battling 1-1 draw against Monaco.

PARIS (AFP)

Tags: auxerre, Bordeaux, Boulogne, christmas recess, claude puel, denis oliech, dominant force, Europe, Germain, gervinho, goal spree, gomis, greek side, Grenoble, hatem ben arfa, knockout stages, Lyon, Mans, Marseille, midway point, Montpellier, Nancy Ivory Coast, Olympiakos, PARIS, Paulo, Saint, saint etienne, severe headaches, stade gerland, surprise packages, title challenge, velodrome marseille, victor montano

Galtier looking to lift St Etienne

December 19, 2009

New St Etienne coach Christophe Galtier has warned that his side will be looking for a confidence booster to lift their sagging campaign against Marseille on Saturday.

Alain Perrin’s former assistant takes over a side in freefall as they struggle in the relegation zone with just 15 points from 17 games and two games left before the winter break in the French first division.

The club are far from the glory days of the 1960s and 1970s when they were one of the powerhouses of French football – winning the last of their ten league titles way back in 1981.

But former Marseille player Galtier insisted the “pressure and great expectations” on his shoulders would prove a motivator as his team take on second-placed Marseille just days after Perrin’s sacking.

“I’m capable of reversing the slump,” boasted Galtier of a side still reeling from the 3-0 loss at Paris Saint-Germain which cost Perrin his job.

“The group’s confidence is in freefall. The most important thing is to get confidence back into a team hit by poor results.”

But with a long injury list, Galtier will be hard pressed to do better than his predecessor, although he can count on defender Yohan Benalouane, back from suspension, to bolster Guirane N?Daw.

In-form Marseille claimed their third successive win midweek with a 2-1 victory over Lorient to move up to second, six points behind leaders Bordeaux.

And Marseille coach Didier Deschamps admitted his primary concern was the freezing conditions forecast for St Etienne on Saturday.

“The number one worry is the physical shape of the players because the risk of injury is high,” said Deschamps. “To play matches in these conditions is more about balance than football.”

Bordeaux look to consolidate their position before the winter break as they host Lorient after their 1-0 win over Montpellier on Wednesday.

Coach Laurent Blanc knows his side were lucky to come away with a win from Montpellier after their success at Lyon the previous week.

“We weren’t good because the match against Lyon left its mark. Certain players hadn’t recovered and weren’t at a technically high level.”

But Blanc is happy with his side’s first half of the season.

“I’d be happy to have a second half of the season like the first,” said Blanc. “We’ve done almost half the work. We have to prepare ourselves because we mustn’t think that it’s going to happen by itself. Nothing is given, we have to go after it.”

Nevertheless Blanc isn’t underestimating his rivals.

“Christian Gourcuff has a well organised team,” said Blanc of his Lorient counterpart. “With few resources they produce beautiful football and players worthy of the highest level.”

Montpellier, sitting third seven points off the place, host 13th-placed Nancy as Valenciennes take on Lens and midtable rivals Rennes and Paris St Germain slug it out in Brittany.

Tailenders Grenoble host Nice as second-from-bottom Boulogne travel to Sochaux.

On Sunday, Lyon vist Monaco as Lille look to get back into the top four against Le Mans and Auxerre host Toulouse.

Saturday (1800GMT unless stated)

Bordeaux v Lorient, Boulogne v Sochaux, Grenoble v Nice, Montpellier v Nancy, Rennes v PSG, Valenciennes v Lens, St Etienne v Marseille (2000GMT)

Sunday (1600GMT unless stated)

Auxerre v Toulouse, Lille v Le Mans, Monaco v Lyon (2000GMT)

PARIS (AFP)

Tags: Alain Perrin, auxerre, Bordeaux, Boulogne, Brittany, Christian Gourcuff, Christophe Galtier, confidence booster, Daw, french football, Germain, glory days, great expectations, Grenoble, laurent blanc, league titles, Lille, Lorient, Lyon, Mans, Marseille, midweek, Monaco, Montpellier, Nancy, PARIS, powerhouses, relegation zone, Rennes, six points, st etienne, Toulouse, winter break

Chamakh dents Lyon title challenge

December 14, 2009

Defending champions Bordeaux moved four points clear at the top of the French league and seriously damaged Lyon’s title challenge with a 1-0 victory over their rivals at the Stade Gerland on Sunday.

An 86th-minute header from Marouane Chamakh was enough to secure all three points for the visitors, who are now eight points above Claude Puel’s side.

A tetchy match only began to open up in the second half, with Fernando fizzing a volley wide for Bordeaux and Maxime Gonalons drawing a good save from Cedric Carrasso with a stinging drive at the other end.

Chamakh then blazed over Lyon’s unguarded goal after being teed up by Brazilian Jussie’s cutback but the Moroccan international made no mistake four minutes from time when he met Yoann Gourcuff’s dinked cross from the right with a firm downward header that Hugo Lloris could not keep out.

Bordeaux move four points clear of surprise package Montpellier at the Ligue 1 summit, with Lyon now well off the pace in ninth place.

Bordeaux coach Laurent Blanc praised the gritty nature of team whom he insisted are only beginning to show what they are capable of.

“We knew the difficulties awaiting us. We dominated the second half and I think we deserved to win this match,” he said.

“This team has shown they really want to have a great season and are in full evolution. The group work well together and are ready to meet every challenge. In terms of points we achieved a very nice operation.”

Lyon coach Claude Puel could only rue a missed opportunity.

“It’s not very clever to lose at home against a team who are our direct rivals and leaders,” said Puel.

“Eight points behind, it’s beginning to become important even if it’s not critical. There’s nothing much we can do apart from getting back to work and believing in ourselves.”

A sublime goal by Souleymane Camara had earlier earned Montpellier a 1-0 victory at Toulouse.

Camara struck with a stunning half-volley in the 11th minute of the match at the Stadium Municipal to extend his side’s unbeaten run to four matches and maintain their unanticipated title threat.

“I’m happy to have scored such a nice goal but the three points are what really matter to me,” said Camara.

“We’re in second place tonight but our aim remains to avoid relegation and we’ll see where we finish at the end of the season.”

Lille are now six points off the top in third place after scoring four goals for the fourth successive league game in a 4-0 victory at Monaco, although they have played two games more than the teams either side of them – Montpellier and Marseille.

“We’re in a good moment,” said Lille coach Rudi Garcia.

“The important thing was to do everything in order to win. We put ourselves in danger in the first half. But for our fifth match in 15 days, we were in good shape physically.”

Paris Saint-Germain responded to their 1-0 defeat at Bordeaux last weekend by soundly beating Saint-Etienne 3-0 at the Parc des Princes.

Two goals in the space of two minutes by Peguy Luyindula and Stephane Sessegnon put the hosts 2-0 up inside 13 minutes and Mevlut Erding made sure of the points by converting Christophe Jallet’s free-kick six minutes before the interval.

In the day’s other game, Sochaux climbed away from the relegation zone by beating bottom club Grenoble 1-0.

Marseille finished the weekend in fourth place, level on points with Lille, after defeating Boulogne 2-0 on Saturday, when there were also wins for third-bottom Le Mans, Lens and improving Rennes.

PARIS (AFP)

Tags: Bordeaux, Cedric Carrasso, chamakh, Christophe Jallet, claude puel, cutback, dinked, Fernando, four minutes, four points, french league, Grenoble, half volley, Hugo Lloris, laurent blanc, Ligue 1, Lille, Lyon, Mans, Marseille, maxime, Maxime Gonalons, minute header, Monaco, Montpellier, moroccan, PARIS, place bordeaux, Rennes, rivals, saint etienne, stade gerland, surprise package, title challenge, Toulouse

Bordeaux primed to undermine Lyon title bid

December 13, 2009

French league leaders Bordeaux welcome Lyon to the Stade Chaban-Delmas on Sunday knowing that victory would take them eight points clear of their title rivals at the top of the table.

Both clubs have qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League, but Bordeaux’s league form is much better and with the winter break approaching they have a prime opportunity to deal their foes a timely psychological blow.

The reigning champions recovered from a first home defeat in over two years against Valenciennes to record back-to-back wins at Nancy and at home to Paris Saint-Germain, but Lyon have just one win in their last seven league matches.

Lyon, the dominant side of the decade who won seven straight titles between 2002 and 2008, warmed up for the clash with a 4-0 Champions League win over Hungarian side Debrecen in mid-week, but coach Claude Puel rejected suggestions his team were in need of a lift.

“It’s not a question of relief or of being reassured or I don’t know what,” said the former Lille manager.

“The previous matches are out of our system and we’re concentrating on the games ahead. Now, with Bordeaux, we change the register and the competition. We’ll have to recover well for the match on Sunday.”

Laurent Blanc was able to field a second-string XI for Bordeaux’s final Champions League assignment, a 1-0 win at Israeli outfit Maccabi Haifa.

The first-team stars are expected to return on Sunday, with midfielder Yoann Gourcuff set to play despite having missed training on Wednesday with toothache.

Lyon will likely be without their France international winger Sidney Govou, who was forced off with an injury in the 29th minute of their victory at home to Debrecen on Wednesday.

Govou hurt himself in the build-up to Bafetimbi Gomis’s 25th-minute opener and was replaced by Bosnian starlet Miralem Pjanic, who stands by to deputise.

Goalkeeper Hugo Lloris required stitches after a clash of heads with Debrecen’s French striker Adamo Coulibaly but his injuries are not thought serious enough to jeopardise his participation against Bordeaux.

Second-placed Montpellier, who spent the last five seasons in Ligue 2, could close to within a point of Bordeaux at the head of the standings if they win at Toulouse on Sunday afternoon.

Bottom side Grenoble, who picked up their first win of the season at home to Toulouse last weekend, visit Sochaux, while PSG hope to have Turkish striker Mevlut Erding back from a knee problem for the visit of Saint-Etienne.

Fixtures

Sunday (1600GMT unless otherwise stated)

Monaco v Lille, Paris Saint-Germain v Saint-Etienne, Sochaux v Grenoble, Toulouse v Montpellier, Lyon v Bordeaux (2000GMT)

PARIS (AFP)

Tags: Bordeaux, claude puel, coulibaly, debrecen, dominant side, final champions league, France, france international, french league, Germain, Grenoble, Hugo Lloris, laurent blanc, league leaders, Lille, maccabi haifa, Monaco, Montpellier, Nancy, PARIS, paris saint germain, prime opportunity, saint etienne, second string, seven league, sidney govou, stade chaban delmas, straight titles, Toulouse, valenciennes, Yoann

Bordeaux primed to undermine Lyon title bid

December 12, 2009

French league leaders Bordeaux welcome Lyon to the Stade Chaban-Delmas on Sunday knowing that victory would take them eight points clear of their title rivals at the top of the table.

“It’s not a question of relief or of being reassured or I don’t know what,” said the former Lille manager.

Laurent Blanc was able to field a second-string XI for Bordeaux’s final Champions League assignment, a 1-0 win at Israeli outfit Maccabi Haifa.

The first-team stars are expected to return on Sunday, with midfielder Yoann Gourcuff set to play despite having missed training on Wednesday with toothache.

Lyon will likely be without their France international winger Sidney Govou, who was forced off with an injury in the 29th minute of their victory at home to Debrecen on Wednesday.

Govou hurt himself in the build-up to Bafetimbi Gomis’s 25th-minute opener and was replaced by Bosnian starlet Miralem Pjanic, who stands by to deputise.

Marseille will look to bounce back from their own Champions League exit at the hands of Real Madrid, 3-1 winners at the Stade Velodrome on Tuesday, when they host Boulogne on Saturday.

Top scorer and captain Mamadou Niang was forced out of the match against Real with a shoulder injury and could be out for up to six weeks.

Marseille coach Didier Deschamps hinted on Thursday that the Senegalese forward’s absence could prompt him to enter the January transfer market.

“I don’t rule it out, but buying someone who would give us something extra, particularly in attack, is expensive and I don’t think it would be possible,” said Deschamps.

Second-placed Montpellier, who spent the last five seasons in Ligue 2, could close to within a point of Bordeaux at the head of the standings if they win at Toulouse on Sunday afternoon.

Fifth-placed Auxerre, meanwhile, are hoping to have last season’s top scorer Ireneusz Jelen fit for the trip to Lorient on Saturday, after the Polish marksman returned to training following a bicep injury.

Fixtures

Saturday (1800GMT unless otherwise stated)

Le Mans v Valenciennes, Lens v Nice, Marseille v Boulogne, Nancy v Rennes, Lorient v Auxerre (2000GMT)

Sunday (1600GMT unless otherwise stated)

Monaco v Lille, Paris Saint-Germain v Saint-Etienne, Sochaux v Grenoble, Toulouse v Montpellier, Lyon v Bordeaux (2000GMT)

PARIS (AFP)

Tags: claude puel, coulibaly, debrecen, dominant side, final champions league, france international, french league, Germain, Grenoble, Hugo Lloris, laurent blanc, Lorient, maccabi haifa, MADRID, Marseille, Montpellier, Nancy, PARIS, paris saint germain, prime opportunity, Rennes, second string, seven league, stade chaban delmas, valenciennes, Yoann

Auxerre coach Fernandez gets head for heights

November 23, 2009

Auxerre coach Jean Fernandez was finding it hard to come to terms with seeing his side take control of the French first division at the weekend.

Auxerre capitalised on slip-ups by Lyon and Bordeaux to move into a clear lead on Saturday.

Lyon were held to a 1-1 draw at Grenoble while champions Bordeaux were downed 1-0 at home by Valenciennes.

That left the stage clear for Auxerre to leapfrog this duo with a result against Monaco in the evening game and the former titleholders duly produced the goods with a 2-0 win.

Mali international Adama Coulibaly gave the Burgundy side the lead in first half injury time and Delvin Ndinga put the result beyond reach of Monaco two minutes from the whistle.

That lifted Auxerre up from third to first with 26 points, with Bordeaux edging Lyon for second on goal difference on 25 points.

Former Marseille coach Fernandez has endured a tough couple of seasons at the helm of Auxerre, but with this result it appears the club is being repaid for showing their faith in him when the going was tough.

“At the end of the match I almost had to pinch myself because I didn’t know if we would go top or not,” said Fernandez, who has also spent time coach clubs in Saudi Arabia and Tunisia.

“But that’s not the important thing. We still had to come out and get the job done against Monaco, who have quality both at the individual and collective levels.

“Being league leaders suits us fine. We’ve got a team that’s confident, tight and our main objective is just to keep collecting the points.”

It was Monaco coach Guy Lacombe who informed Fernandez of Auxerre’s jump up to first spot, but Lacombe had less kind words for his side.

“I’m not happy at all with the match, or my players,” he said.

“Although we played better in the second half we didn’t live up to my expectations.”

Despite recent setbacks, Monaco are only three points behind champions Bordeaux, who fell behind to a seventh minute strike from French-born Mali international Mamadou Samassa.

Laurent Blanc’s side failed to overcome that early shock, which left them with their first defeat at the hands of Valenciennes on home turf since 1976.

The northern side’s reward was a jump up to sixth.

On Sunday Lorient’s 2-0 away win at Saint Etienne put them fourth, with Nice, 1-0 winners over Toulouse, 1-0, ninth.

Sunday’s late match saw Montpellier dish out a 2-0 beating at home to Lille to move up three places to fifth.

On Saturday although Grenoble’s Laurent Courtois was sent off in the 70th minute Lyon were unable to make the most of their numerical advantage.

Argentina winger Cesar Delgado put the former multiple champions into a 66th minute lead only for Danijel Ljuboja to level seven minutes later.

Both Bordeaux (Juventus) and Lyon (Florentina) are in Champions League group action this week with qualification to the next round already assured.

On Friday a first-half goal from Gabriel Heinze vaulted Marseille back into the French title race, securing a 1-0 win at the Stade Velodrome over Paris St Germain.

That put Didier Deschamps men in seventh on 22 points, four shy of Auxerre.

PARIS (AFP)

Tags: adama coulibaly, auxerre, burgundy, collective levels, delvin, goal difference, Grenoble, Guy Lacombe, injury time, jean fernandez, league leaders, main objective, mamadou, monaco coach, saudi arabia, setbacks, slip ups, time coach, ups, valenciennes

French Eurostars return to title fight

November 7, 2009

After proving in midweek that French football bears comparison with the best the Champions League has to offer, Bordeaux and Lyon return to domestic action this weekend, jousting for home supremacy.

Bordeaux broke Lyon’s record run of seven straight championships last May and the pair are once again locked into the top two places with the Girondins currently two points clear of their rivals from the east after 11 games.

Any notion the two sides might find Europe a tougher proposition than a league regarded as weak compared with England, Spain and Italy, must be laid aside after Bordeaux did the double over four-time continental champions Bayern Munich and Lyon pushed Liverpool to the brink of elimination.

Bordeaux would appear to have the easier task on Sunday, when they are in action at struggling Lille, whereas Lyon host potential title rivals in Marseille.

Didier Deschamps’ Marseille, the only French side to lift the European Cup, are seven points adrift of the summit amid a season dogged by the kind of inconsistency which saw them held at home by midtable Toulouse.

But Marseille, who will again be without Argentine Lucho Gonzalez owing to an ankle strain, did glean a point at the Stade Gerland last season – dropped points which ultimately helped loosen Lyon’s long grip on the title.

Bordeaux themselves will have no reason to be complacent as they head north to Lille, having lost last year’s corresponding fixture 2-1.

Despite proving their European mettle, Laurent Blanc’s side are set to struggle to persuade striker Marouane Chamakh, a summer target for Arsenal, to put down roots.

Chamakh is out of contract next summer and told Sud Ouest newspaper he has yet to agree a new deal.

“Nothing is definitive, the door is still open. I have decided not to extend (my contract) for the time being but that does not mean I will not stay at Bordeaux next season. I’ve six or seven months to take a decision,” said Chamakh.

Seven-times league champions Monaco, whose last success came in 2000 and who host Grenoble on Saturday, have fought their way up to third, four points off the pace and one clear of Montpellier and Auxerre.

Narrowly beaten last week in Bordeaux, the Monegasques – three wins in four outings – will expect to extend Grenoble’s unwanted record start to a French league season comprising 11 straight defeats.

Elsewhere, Montpellier will hope to continue their unlikely push for a tilt at a Champions League slot with three points at fellow top six inhabitants Valenciennes.

Auxerre can harbour similar ambitions, at least for now, with a victory at second-bottom Le Mans.

And Paris Saint Germain will hope that last week’s romp at Sochaux can form the basis of an assault on the European placings as they strive to move up from midtable.

The capital club will take on a Nice side who could leapfrog them with a win at the Parc des Princes.

PSG edged last season’s fixture by the odd goal in three.

Fixtures (all times GMT):

Saturday

Valenciennes v Montpellier (1800)

Paris SG v Nice (1800)

Lorient v Boulogne (1800)

Monaco v Grenoble (1800)

Nancy v St Etienne (1800)

Le Mans v Auxerre (1800)

Sochaux v Lens (2000)

Sunday

Lille v Bordeaux (1600)

Toulouse v Rennes (1600)

Lyon v Marseille (2000)

PARIS (AFP)

Tags: ankle strain, Argentine, Bayern, Bordeaux, Boulogne, continental champions, didier deschamps, England, Europe, french football, french side, Germain, girondins, Grenoble, inconsistency, laurent blanc, Lille, Liverpool, Lorient, lucho gonzalez, Lyon, marouane chamakh, mettle, midweek, Monaco, Nancy, new deal, Nice, Ouest, PARIS, Rennes, seven months, seven points, seven times, Spain, stade gerland, straight championships, target, Toulouse

January 2010
M	T	W	T	F	S	S
« Dec
	1	2	3
4	5	6	7	8	9	10
11	12	13	14	15	16	17
18	19	20	21	22	23	24
25	26	27	28	29	30	31

Related Sites

AFP
e-soccertips
Free Themes All - Blogger, Wordpress, Joomla themes
Soccer Results
soccerway
WAGS
WAGS Blog

Minnows Colmar stun Lille in French Cup

Related posts

French giants out to avoid Cup slip-up

Related posts

Free-scoring Lille put pressure on Bordeaux

Related posts

No festive cheer for Lyon, Marseille as Bordeaux win

Related posts

Galtier looking to lift St Etienne

Related posts

Chamakh dents Lyon title challenge

Related posts

Bordeaux primed to undermine Lyon title bid

Related posts

Bordeaux primed to undermine Lyon title bid

Related posts

Auxerre coach Fernandez gets head for heights

Related posts

French Eurostars return to title fight

Related posts

Calendar

Related Sites

Categories