Le Mans 1
Grafite 29

Match Stats

Two second-half goals from PSG helped the capital team come back from 1-0 down and secure their second consecutive league win – a victory which has given Paul Le Guen renewed hope that his team may be able to escape relegation.

After a slow start, the game spluttered into life just before the quarter hour when Pierre-Alain Frau flashed a shot wide and soon after Pauleta failed to add a touch from a corner that would have resulted in a goal. Le Mans sprang to life half-way through the first period with a free-kick which Mickael Landreau did well to stop. And although the former Nantes 'keeper covered himself in glory with that parry, he could do nothing to stop Frédéric Hantz' men taking the lead just before the half hour.

Amara Diané

The Brazilian Grafite latched onto a through ball from Ismael Bangoura and, with just Landreau to beat, he carefully lifted the ball above and around the despairing dive of the home 'keeper for 1-0. The visitors very nearly made it two moments later when Ndri Romaric shot past the right-hand post.

After the break, PSG made their valuable breakthrough with Pauleta feeding Peguy Luyindula on the edge of the box. The former Marseille man steadied himself, looked up and squeezed a shot past Rodolphe Roche's outstretched hand and into the corner of the goal. Pushed on by the vociferous Paris crowd, PSG went in search of the winner and they were rewarded for their perseverance with a fabulous goal from Amara Diané. With ten minutes to go, Le Mans failed to take advantage of a corner and PSG, in uncharacteristic counter-attacking mode, sped up the pitch with Diané taking the ball past the Le Mans defence and sliding the ball in for number two.

Late on PSG had Landreau to thank for a fine save and then Grafite for a poor miss right at the death as the Parc des Princes crowd held their hearts in their mouths. Nevertheless, the home side did enough to make sure the game ended 2-1 and the sense of relief at the final whistle was palpable.

Jérome Rothen (PSG midfielder)
"It's a good result for us but the work is far from done. It's the first time we've come back for the win at the Parc des Princes and other than the goal we conceded I thought we played well in the first-half. We were able to come back in the second-half because of our fantastic supporters. We'll go to Bordeaux next weekend with the same hope that we did when we travelled to Lens."


Sochaux 1
Dagano 68

Nice 1
Bellion 65

Match Stats

Sochaux extended their recent successful run to one defeat in ten with a 1-1 draw at home to Nice. Goals from David Bellion and Moumouni Dagano within three minutes of each other in the second-half were enough for the points to be shared in a result which keeps Nice out of the relegation zone and Sochaux on course for a European spot.

The game started with Sochaux on top and after just four minutes Karim Ziani showed he was in lively form with a volley into a crowd of Nice defenders. The exciting Algerian was at the heart of the action again when he sent a shot whizzing past Hugo Lloris' post soon after. Not to be outdone Nice came close with former Manchester United striker Bellion just failing to reach a ball played through to him by Cédric Varrault. However, the momentum was with the home side and Jérome Leroy nearly opened the scoring only for Lloris to push his shot wide. Sébastien Grax was next to try his luck in front of goal but a hurried set of tackles from the Nice defence was enough to concede just a corner.

David Bellion

The second period saw Nice emerge from their slumber and early on their flashed warning of their capabilities with two opportunities first from Florent Balmont and then Varrault. Indeed, the start made by Nice soon led to the game's opening goal, Bellion making up for his earlier mishap with a dribble and shot past Teddy Richert for 1-0. However, while the Nice support were still celebrating, Sochaux brought the match level. Substitute Dagano, with his first touch of the game, shot past Lloris from a Ziani pass to silence the visitors.

A frantic finish from Nice failed to produce a goal but they left the Stade Auguste-Bonal happy with the point and their fifth draw in six games.

Rennes 1
Utaka 30

Lens 0

Match Stats

A brilliantly taken goal from Nigerian striker John Utaka midway through the first-half earned Rennes a surprise victory over high-flying Lens at the Stade de le Route de Lorient.

Rennes made most of the running in the first-half, with Utaka looking particularly lively. He looked odds-on to open the scoring as early as the fourth minute when released by a clever pass from Olivier Sorlin but he overran the ball and goalkeeper Charles Itandje smothered it. Several other half chances were spurned by the six-goal centre-forward, but he was not to be denied on the half-hour.

John Utaka

With the Lens defence out of position, Sorlin again produced a slide-rule pass which Utaka this time took in his stride before prodding the ball expertly past the stranded Itanje. Any attempts by the visitors to get back into the game met with robust resistance, although a powerful run from the Lens captain Seydou Keita might have been rewarded with a penalty after he appeared to be bundled over in the box. Referee Olivier Thual waved play on, much to the annoyance of coach Francis Gillot on the sidelines.

Early in the second-half, Utaka had several chances to wrap up the game for the home side. First he stumbled when clean through, allowing the defenders to rob him of the ball, then he blazed over from six yards out after a clever pull-back from Jimmy Briand. At the other end, Rennes had Simon Pouplin to thank for preserving the slender advantage after he brilliantly kept out a powerful volley from the former France midfielder Eric Carriere. The home side held on despite some late pressure from Lens and move up to eighth in the table, just six points behind tonight's opponents.

Monaco 0

Troyes 0

Match Stats

Monaco and Troyes took a point apiece from a drab encounter at the Stade Louis II, with the visitors delighted not to have lost ground on fellow strugglers Nice in their battle to avoid relegation.

After a disappointing first-half  the home side came out firing at the start of the second period, forcing a succession of chances. An almighty goalmouth scramble was followed by a good chance for Yaya Toure – the Ivorian shot wildy over the bar from close range – and a great headed chance for Jan Koller. Unfortunately for the home supporters, the usually-reliable Czech striker guided the ball wide of the target with the goal at his mercy.

Jan Koller

With Troyes clearly playing for the draw and threatening little at the other end, Monaco pressed men forward in search of the elusive goal. But as they became more desperate, so the tactics became more predictable. Long, diagonal balls directed towards giant striker Jan Koller were easily dealt with by the Troyes defence and when he an astonishing 10 minutes on the sidelines replacing his contact lenses, the Monaco attack disappeared altogether. As the game petered out, the frustration of the home coach Laurent Banide was palpable and although his side kept going until the end of the match, struggling Troyes thoroughly deserved their point.

Nancy 0

Lorient 1
Saifi 68 (pen)

Match Stats

Lorient snatched all three points with a smash-and-grab operation at the Stade Marcel Picot after being awarded a contentious second-half penalty.

Nancy were arguably the best team throughout and they lea[pt out of the blocks early on when after seven minutes, Kim tried a speculative overheard kick, an effort which was easily collected by Remy Riou. Indeed, Nancy's Brazilian front man was at the centre of things once more five minutes later with another, more traditional, shot which sailed over. Lorient seemed less inclined to push forward and their solitary chance in the first-half came when an Ulrich le Pen header failed to find the target.

Seven minutes into the second period and Kim, continuing his efforts to terrorise the Lorient defence, this time smashed a shot off the crossbar. Nancy had the bit between their teeth and only a last-gasp tackle from the Lorient back four stopped Issiar Dia in finishing off a fine counter-attacking move with a goal.

Rafik Saifi

Nancy were made to pay for their profligacy when, on 68 minutes, Rafik Saifi gave Lorient a surprising lead from the penalty spot. Awarded for a push by Kim, and contested vehemently by the rest of the Nancy players, the referee nevertheless seemed content with his decision and Saifi did not need asking twice as he slotted the ball wide of Gregorini for 1-0.

Nancy came agonisingly close to equalising but Riou saved the day for Lorient with a tremendous save on 80 minutes. The home side piled men forward, Gregorini joining his attackers in a last-ditch effort to secure a draw, but were denied the possibility of a point when referee Tony Chapron blew for full-time. The game ended sourly, if not for the Lorient players, when the Nancy contingent, eager to discuss the penalty incident, surrounded the officials, a move which resulted in a red card for captain Cédric Lecluse.

Saint-Etienne 2
Hognon 26, Gomis 33

Nantes 1
Diallo 28

Match Stats

Bafetimbi Gomis struck the first-half winner as Saint-Etienne deservedly beat Nantes 2-1 to keep their European dreams alive.

'Les Verts' were excellent value for their win as the outstanding Gomis yet again earned them victory, his eighth goal in 11 matches proving enough to claim the points. The crucial moment arrived in the 33rd minute, when Gomis rounded Nantes goalkeeper Fabien Barthez and made no mistake from close range.

Defeat leaves Nantes rooted to the bottom of the table as their chances of avoiding the drop get slimmer. Despite starting brightly they were totally outplayed after the break, and on the rare occasions they got sight of goal Saint-Etienne goalkeeper Jeremie Janot proved their equal.

Bafetimbi Gomis

The hosts took the lead on 26 minutes when Nantes failed to clear a corner. Pascal Feindouno whipped in a left-foot cross that centre-half Vincent Hognon headed home powerfully. Nantes earned parity two minutes later, Jaouad Zairi dribbling into the area and finding Luigi Pieroni with a clever cross. The Belgium international, making a rare start, headed against the bar but strike partner Mamadou Diallo was first to the rebound and prodded home.

The match totally opened up as both sides sense the opportunity to score further goals. It was Saint-Etienne who took advantage when Nantes' normally reliable centre-half and captain Mauro Cetto failed to clear heading towards his own goal and Gomis broke clear. The 20-year-old, one of the discoveries of the season, finished coolly.

The home side had further chances to score after the break but Barthez was at his best to thwart Marek Heinz, Fredy Guarin and Herita Ilunga from long range. Janot also proved his worth, saving brilliantly to deny Cetto and Claudiu Keseru as Nantes searched in vain for an equaliser.

Japhet Ndoram (Nantes co-manager)
"We've lost three very important three points and the reuslt leaves a bad taste in our mouths. We struggled to match our opponents physically but I feel we could have taken something from the game. However, we left with nothing. The team are still positive and as long as they keep the same spirit then we can still hope. We'll keep trying until the end. There are seven difficult matches left and we won't give up."


Auxerre 0

Bordeaux 0

Match Stats

Auxerre held on for a point against Bordeaux despite playing for most of the second-half with 10 men in one of Ligue 1's most entertaining goalless draws of the season. Benoit Cheyrou was sent off in the 52nd minute but Auxerre mounted a terrific rearguard action to deservedly earn a share of the spoils.

Bordeaux were looking for another win to improve their Champions League hopes but coach Ricardo will be happy with a point as 'Les Girondins' became the first team in 15 matches to prevent Auxerre from scoring.

Both sides attacked relentlessly in the first-half, with Auxerre playmaker Thomas Kahlenberg having the first opportunity. The Denmark international pulled his left-foot shot just wide following Auxerre's excellent four-man move and a minute later Ireneusz Jelen had another chance for the hosts as Bordeaux goalkeeper Ulrich Rame pushed the shot to safety.

Olivier Sorin

Bordeaux hit on the break and wasted an excellent chance when Marouane Chamakh broke clear. His excellent first touch put him through but the centre-forward showed why critics feel he lacks the killer touch by shooting tamely wide. Bordeaux's Brazilian midfielder enforcer Fernando came close, too, but Auxerre goalkeeper Olivier Sorin was up to the task with an excellent save.

After the break Auxerre started at a ferocious pace but Cheyrou's red card changed everything as inevitably they decided to play more cautiously. It was to their credit that Bordeaux had few chances to take the lead despite dominating possession in the final half-hour.

Auxerre can still realistically hold European ambitions as they are only three points off fourth place. Bordeaux – already in Europe thanks to their League Cup win – still have their eye on a UEFA Champions League place.