Headlines

  • Monday 4 May 2009

    We will have new champions: Ligue 1 reviews

    Caen 3-1 Le Mans
    Lorient 3-1 Lille
    Valenciennes 2-0 Lyon
    Grenoble 0-0 Nice
    St Etienne 0-0 Nancy
    Monaco 0-1 Auxerre
    Marseille 2-2 Toulouse
    Nantes 1-2 Le Havre
    PSG 0-1 Rennes
    Bordeaux 3-0 Sochaux

    It's sad when a proud champion is knocked off their perch. In the wee hours of Sunday morning, Ricky Hatton's boxing career ended in a heap on a Las Vegas ring. Eight hours before that, Lyon were left in tatters on the field at Valenciennes's Stade Nungesser. Twice in the first half, Jean-Alain Boumsong's fragile confidence was exposed as Johan Audel twice swooped on his errors to give Valenciennes a two goal lead. Despite Karim Benzema's best efforts, Lyon couldn't force a way back in with VA keeper Nicolas Penneteau in stellar form. With four games to go, Les Gones are seven points off the pace set by Marseille and Bordeaux who are level on points and separated by just one goal. OM were held at home by Toulouse for whom André-Pierre Gignac twice put them ahead with goals number 20 and 21 for the season. Mamadou Niang equalised the first and Mauro Cetto put through his own net two square it up barely a minute after Gignac had restored Les Violets' advantage. Bordeaux disposed of Socahux with ease, two up inside quarter of an hour through Gregory Sertic and Yoann Gourcuff. Marouane Chamakh, who wants out of Bordeaux and into Tottenham Hotspur, made it three late on after Sochaux full-back Rabiu Afolabi was sent off.

    PSG remain fourth, a further point back from Lyon, after Mamadou Sakho's own goal handed Rennes a win in a game short on chances which looked destined for 0-0. Lille went down heavily at Lorient after going a goal up through Yohan Cabaye. The second half was all Lorient as Michael Ciani equalised and two goals in the least three minutes sealed it, Rafik Saifi and Fabrice Abriel on the mark for Les Meruls. Thomas Kahlenberg's thumping header was enough for Auxerre to win in Monaco while the mid-table skirmish between Grenoble and Nice was notable only for the dismissal of Grenoble striker Larsen Touré.

    Le Havre remain bottom, but are now nine points behind the next three on the table with twelve points still to play for after they came from behind to beat fellow strugglers Nantes on Sunday. It's still a tall order, of course, but they've given themselves a chance thanks to Mamadou Diallo and Florian Marange who got the goals after Christian Bekamenga scooped in an opener. The Nantes defence went AWOL allowing Diallo's equaliser and Marange walked through four or five non-existent challenges in getting the winner on the hour. St Etienne and Nancy battled to a goalless draw which earned them a valuable point which draws them level with Sochaux and Nantes. The big winners down at the bottom were Caen, whose 3-1 win over Le Mans pulled them out of the drop zone, though only by a point. Pablo Barzola put them ahead very early on, but they went in to half time level through Grégory Cerdan's equaliser. Two goals in five second half minutes won it, Nicolas Seube and Anthony Deroin earning their side three priceless points.

    No comments: