Puel urges Lyon to forget cup heartache

January 30, 2010

Lyon coach Claude Puel has told his players to get over the disappointment of their back-to-back cup exits by returning to winning ways against Paris Saint-Germain in the league on Sunday.

Les Gones went down 1-0 at Lorient in the quarter-finals of the League Cup on Wednesday, having been beaten by Monaco in the last 32 of the French Cup last weekend.

Their hopes of silverware appear to be fading fast, with the team currently sitting 11 points behind league leaders Bordeaux and set to confront the multi-million might of Real Madrid in the last 16 of the Champions League.

“The match against Paris is very important,” said Puel. “We have to digest these two huge disappointments quickly and bounce back.

“The message is to recover well and quickly move onto something else, but you’re never guaranteed to respond well after a defeat.”

PSG beat third-tier Evian last Sunday to qualify for the last 16 of the French Cup but they, unlike Lyon, are still searching for their first league points of 2010.

The capital club have already lost to Lille and Monaco and travel to the Stade Gerland in 11th place, seven points behind fifth-placed Lyon.

Antoine Kombouare’s men can at least take heart from the return to fitness of last season’s top scorer Guillaume Hoarau, who scored against Evian on his first start since October.

Marseille, fourth, have the same number of points as Lyon with a game in hand but life is much rosier at the Stade Velodrome after they came from behind to beat Lille 2-1 on Wednesday to reach the League Cup last four.

The Mediterranean giants face a taxing trip to second-placed local rivals Montpellier on Saturday, but coach Didier Deschamps was enthused by his side’s performance in the victory over Lille.

“I enjoyed it and I think the players did too,” he said. “There were lots of good things; we controlled most aspects of the match, with a lot of movement, technical control and some nice moves.

“We must be capable of repeating this kind of performance against Montpellier on Saturday.”

Deschamps will have to do without France international goalkeeper Steve Mandana, who sustained a heavy knock against Lille, while Brazilian forward Brandao is likely to miss out after injuring his thigh in training.

Montpellier this week finalised the signing of in-form striker Olivier Giroud from Tours, but the 23-year-old was immediately loaned back to the Ligue 2 side until the end of the season.

Runaway league leaders Bordeaux remain in contention for four trophies this season – the league, both domestic cups and the Champions League – and coach Laurent Blanc says they will attempt to win them all.

“We’ll see what happens in the four competitions,” said Blanc, whose team host second-bottom Boulogne on Saturday.

“We have the time, for now we have the squad and not too many injuries. We can allow ourselves to rotate things. But the further we progress, the tighter it’ll get.”

Lille, third, host Lens on Saturday, while fourth-bottom Saint-Etienne will attempt to continue their unbeaten start to the year in the league when they visit seventh-placed Auxerre on Sunday.

Fixtures

Saturday (1800GMT unless otherwise stated)

Bordeaux v Boulogne, Le Mans v Toulouse, Lille v Lens, Monaco v Nice, Nancy v Lorient, Rennes v Grenoble, Montpellier v Marseille (2000GMT)

Sunday (1600GMT unless otherwise stated)

Auxerre v Saint-Etienne, Valenciennes v Sochaux, Lyon v Paris Saint-Germain (2000GMT)

PARIS (AFP)

Tags: Antoine Kombouare, Bordeaux, Boulogne, champions league, claude puel, didier deschamps, disappointment, disappointments, french cup, Germain, gones, guillaume, last sunday, laurent blanc, league leaders, Lille, Lorient, Lyon, MADRID, Marseille, Mediterranean, Monaco, Montpellier, Nancy, Nice, Olivier Giroud, PARIS, paris saint germain, quarter finals, real madrid, Rennes, saint etienne, seven points, stade gerland, stade velodrome, Steve Mandana, top scorer, Toulouse, winning ways

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

Late Cheyrou strike checks 10-man Bordeaux

January 18, 2010

Benoit Cheyrou struck an 81st-minute equaliser to earn Marseille a 1-1 draw at Bordeaux on Sunday that kept his side in the title race, albeit 11 points behind the league leaders with a game in hand.

Defending champions Bordeaux led through a contested Steve Mandanda own goal on the cusp of half-time but lost goalkeeper Cedric Carrasso to injury and then had centre-back Marc Planus sent off.

The numerical advantage allowed Marseille to boss the match for the first time and they snatched a point when Cheyrou chested down a knockdown before volleying past substitute keeper Ulrich Rame, after Bordeaux’s defenders had been sucked towards Brandao at the defence of a free-kick.

The visitors came close to victory in the closing stages, but Rame saved superbly from Lucho Gonzalez’s instinctive toe-poke and Mathieu Valbuena flashed a low, right-footed shot narrowly wide.

Bordeaux now lead the French top flight by seven points from Lille, while Marseille climb above Lyon to fourth.

The opening goal went down as a Mandanda own goal but it owed everything to a superb cross from advancing centre-back Mickael Ciani and the single-mindedness of Marouane Chamakh, whose strong aerial challenge forced the France international goalkeeper to divert the ball into his own net.

The away side protested fiercely about the legitimacy of Chamakh’s leap but referee Laurent Duhamel turned a deaf ear.

It was shortly before the hour-mark that Bordeaux lost Carrasso to an injury apparently sustained taking a free-kick deep inside his own half.

Rame took over between the sticks and quickly found himself exposed when Mamadou Niang earned a free-kick right on the edge of the Bordeaux area, having been felled by Planus, who was promptly dismissed.

Planus’s expulsion was harsh given the presence of a covering defender in the form of Ciani, but Cheyrou could not capitalise with the dead ball.

Laurent Blanc had deployed Chamakh as a lone central focal point and Bordeaux’s attacking midfielders pressed high up the pitch, pinning Marseille deep inside their own half and cutting off Marseille’s own forward trident of Niang, Brandao and Fabrice Ariel.

The tactic gave Bordeaux control of proceedings in the first half but clear-cut chances were scarce.

Ciani had a shot deflected over the crossbar following a neat turn in the Marseille penalty box in the fifth minute, while Wendel and Yoann Gourcuff both drew straightforward saves from Mandanda.

In Saturday’s action, in-form Lille stretched their winning run to eight matches in all competitions and galvanised their grasp on second place by beating Paris Saint-Germain 3-1.

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.

PARIS (AFP)

Tags: benoit cheyrou, Bordeaux, bordeaux area, brandao, Cedric Carrasso, central focal point, ciani, deaf ear, equaliser, Fabrice Ariel, France, france international, free kick, Germain, Gonzalez, knockdown, laurent blanc, Laurent Duhamel, lucho gonzalez, Lyon, marc planus, marouane chamakh, Marseille, Mathieu Valbuena, Montpellier, Nancy, niang, Nice, PARIS, rame, Steve Mandanda

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.

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

Girard’s Montpellier look for revival at Nancy

December 19, 2009

If the sparkling display against Bordeaux was marred by a defeat, then Montpellier’s coach Rene Girard would want his team to draw up a response, instantly.

And with a struggling Nancy visiting them, Montpellier would want to make up for the lost ground.

While, the defeat to Bordeaux was Montpellier’s first home defeat of the season, Girard has urged his players to put that disappointment behind them.

“There are two refereeing systems,” he said. “One for the big teams and another for the little ones. I understand that now.

“I detest injustices. The players managed to have a good game but they fell in front of a great team.

“They didn’t deserve to be beaten in this match.

“They have nothing to be ashamed about by this defeat which we have to accept despite everything.

“I am proud of my team. From now on, we want to concentrate on our next match against Nancy.”

Johann Carrasso, Bangali-Fode Koita and Remy Cabella are still sidelined but Girard has an otherwise full squad to choose from.

Montpellier will have to make do without the backing of their fans as the game will be played behind closed doors as punishment for crowd trouble during their match with Nice in August.

Nancy moved up to 13th following a 2-0 win over Nice, a victory which halted their slide down the Ligue 1 table.

Les Chardons had fallen from ninth to 15th following only one win in their previous five games and coach Pablo Correa was delighted to see an improvement.

“It was about more than three points,” he said. “We found a good balance between playing well, attacking well and defending well.

“When you play well without winning sometimes you lose confidence. But we have talked a lot about that the past few days.

“I am happy because the group reacted in a good way.”

Damian Macaluso serves the second game of a three-match ban while Jonathan Brison has joined Reynald Lemaitre in the treatment room.

Tags: bangali, Bordeaux, cabella, chardons, closed doors, correa, crowd trouble, Damian Macaluso, five games, fode, injustices, Johann Carrasso, jonathan brison, lemaitre, Ligue 1, little ones, macaluso, Montpellier, Nancy, Pablo Correa, remy, rene girard, second game, slide down

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

PSG keeper ‘blackmailed’ by former coach

December 15, 2009

Paris Saint-Germain goalkeeper Apoula Edel is being blackmailed by his former coach and advisor Nicolas Philibert, the club’s sporting director Alain Roche told AFP on Tuesday.

Philibert worked with Edel in Cameroon, where the player was born, and persuaded him to move to Armenia in 2002.

According to a report that appeared in Tuesday’s edition of Le Parisien newspaper, Philibert claims that Edel owes him 30,000 euros but the naturalised Armenian international refuses to pay him.

Following this refusal, Philibert allegedly provided information to Saint-Etienne, PSG’s opponents on Sunday, that cast doubt on the goalkeeper’s true age and identity.

Saint-Etienne accordingly filed a pre-emptory complaint prior to their match at the Parc des Princes, which they lost 3-0 with Edel keeping goal for the home side.

“In 2000 and 2001 I was the coach (at Cameroonian side Espoirs de Yaounde) of Ambroise Beyamena (Edel’s real name, according to Philibert), who was 19 years old,” Philibert told France Bleu radio.

“This player has behaved very badly towards me for four or five years.”

Philibert went on to allege that Edel has not settled outstanding debts between the two men.

“I visited him at his hotel in Montpellier before PSG’s match (on August 8),” Philibert said.

“I told him that I was not happy with his behaviour and he laughed in my face. I told him: ‘Wait until I denounce you for lying about your age and your identity’. He was 19 in 2000, so he is 27 today.”

PSG and the French Professional League officially list Edel’s date of birth as June 17, 1986, making him 23.

On Sunday, PSG president Robin Leproux lamented the reservations raised by Saint-Etienne ahead of the league game between the clubs.

“It is the act of club directors who have lost their nerve and their composure,” he said. “Regarding Edel, he has all his papers in order, approved by FIFA, passport etc.”

PARIS (AFP)

Tags: 19 years old, alain roche, ambroise, armenian, august 8, cameroon, club directors, former coach, France, france bleu, Germain, Goalkeeper, hotel in montpellier, league game, Montpellier, nicolas philibert, parc des princes, paris saint germain, professional league, robin leproux, saint etienne, true age, YAOUNDE

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)