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  • Monday 26 April 2010

    Valbuena keeps OM on course: Ligue 1 reviews

    Lorient 1-0 Bordeaux
    Le Mans 1-2 Lille
    Nice 2-1 Grenoble
    Sochaux 0-3 Boulogne
    Nancy 0-0 Montpellier
    PSG 1-1 Rennes
    Toulouse 0-3 Auxerre
    Lens 1-1 Valenciennes
    Marseille 1-0 St Etienne

    The top five can all still take the Championnat, but it's looking increasingly likely that Marseille are going to take it. Mathieu Valbuena's sixth-minute goal gave OM a 1-0 win over St Etienne and that maintains their gap back to the rest. Auxerre remain the nearest pursuers after blowing Toulouse away in the second half after a goalless first 45. Benoit Pedretti put them in front a couple of minutes into the second half and two from Ireneusz Jelen sealed it. Lille's win at Le Mans puts them into third place and the last Champions League spot. Tulio de Melo put them in front early on, but they were pegged back by Modibo Maiga early in the second half. A penalty from Yohan Cabaye won it after Gervinho was brought down in the box. Lyon remain in with a theoretical chance with their game in hand, as do Montpellier despite a goalless draw with Nancy. Bordeaux lost yet more ground as Kevin Gameiro won it for Lorient, but the reigning champions are still in with a shout - albeit a slim one. They've now lost four of their last five. That is not the form of champions.

    St Etienne's defeat means that Le Mans and Boulogne still retain a chance of getting out of trouble. Boulogne beat ten-man Sochaux, Jacques Faty sent off with quarter of an hour to go when the score was 1-0. Gregory Thil had put Boulogne ahead, but it was only after the red card that they made it safe with Mustapha Yatabaré and Jeremy Blayac on target. Grenoble can't even give their fans something to cheer as they limp out of the league with a whimper. They blew a lead, not for the first time, after Nassim Akrour had put them ahead. Eric Mouloungui pulled Nice level and Emerse Fae won it for them. PSG could only draw with Rennes, Guillaume Hoarau equalising Jerome Leroy's opener. Lens and Valenciennes battled to a stalemate as well, Gregory Pujol equalising for VA after Sébastien Roudet had put Lens in front on the half hour.

    There are a few midweek games as clubs catch up:

    Monaco v Le Mans
    Grenoble v PSG
    Valenciennes v Bordeaux

    Bordeaux have to win or they can forget about retaining their title. There's a lot less riding on the other games.

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