PSG extend lead after Lille slump to defeat
PSG extended their lead at top of Ligue 1 after a hard fought victory over Ajaccio at the weekend, while their two main rivals forthe title, Lille and Monaco, both slipped up. Catch up on all the action inthis round-up.
Marseille remain unbeaten in five domestic games under Jose Anigo after coming from behind to beat Evian 2-1 while Lille blew a chance to go second as they lost 2-1 to Reims.
On-loan winger Pape Amodou Sougou put Marseille in front against his parent club, but Benoit Cheyrou equalised for OM and Andre-Pierre Gignac netted what turned out to be the winner before the interval.
It was Marseille's first-ever win away to Evian and the three points lifted them back up to fifth place in the Ligue 1 table.
Lille meanwhile suffered only their second home defeat of the season as they slumped to a 2-1 loss against Reims, where Odair Fortes and Grzegorz Krychowiak hit second half goals.
Anthony Weber put the ball through his own goal to give Lille hope with two minutes left but it was too little, too late as the Champagne-region outfit held on for their eighth victory of the season.
The defeat, only Lille's fourth in 20 outings, keeps them third and seven points back of leaders Paris Saint-Germain while Reims climb above Bordeaux and Nantes into a tie with Marseille for fifth place.
Marseille remain eight points adrift of the Champions League qualification places despite their key win at Evian.
Last summer, OM raided Evian to sign their Tunisian international forward Saber Khalifa, with Senegalese winger Sougou moving in the opposite direction on a season-long loan deal.
Both players featured prominently at the Parc des Sports, with Sougou meeting a left-wing corner to send a looping header over goalkeeper Steve Mandanda and into the net at the far post on 15 minutes.
It was his fourth league goal of the season, although he refused to celebrate against the club to whom he still belongs.
The visitors were level within seven minutes, though, as Cheyrou collected a loose ball in a central position 25 yards from goal and curled a beautiful shot over 'keeper Bertrand Laquait and into the net.
Gignac then made it 2-1 in the 38th minute, heading in his sixth goal in five games in all competitions from a clipped Florian Thauvin cross.
OM had chances to increase their lead in the second half, notably when Khalifa hit the bar as he attempted to lob Laquait from 30 yards.
However, they held on to claim what was their first win in the league since late November, while the defeat leaves Evian just three points above the drop zone.
Earlier, Nantes beat local rivals Lorient 1-0 at the Stade de la Beaujoire, Ismael Bangoura firing home his first goal for the club since May 2012 to seal the points with just a minute remaining.
Yann Jouffre hit the bar from a free-kick in stoppage time for Lorient, who suffered a first defeat in eight Ligue 1 games.
Nantes are sixth after the win, and the impact of the Guinean Bangoura was particularly welcome.
The southern Brittany side face the prospect of a FIFA-imposed transfer ban, of at least a year, for allegedly going against the rules with their signing of Bangoura from Emirati club Al Nasr in 2012.
That could prove particularly damaging if this season's eight-goal top scorer Filip Djordjevic, who set up Bangoura's goal against Lorient, leaves as expected when his contract expires in the summer.
Paris Saint-Germain were not at their very best in their first Ligue 1 game of 2014, but they still managed to extend their lead at the top of the table to five points after coming from behind to beat Ajaccio 2-1.
Bottom club Ajaccio had taken the lead at the Stade Francois-Coty through an early Eduardo goal, but Ezequiel Lavezzi pulled the visitors level before the break and Blaise Matuidi headed in what proved to be the winner after 74 minutes.
It was not a classic performance from Laurent Blanc's side, but they are now five points clear at the top of the table from Monaco, who were held to a 1-1 draw at Montpellier on Friday.
"We knew this would be a difficult match. We needed to be on top of our game in the opening 20 minutes but we were not, and we switched off and conceded a goal," said Blanc.
"That galvanised them, but we managed to get the equaliser, and in the second half we had chances to put the game to bed.
"We have had a little break, and it takes the bodies and heads of the players a little while to get back into things."
Monaco were held to a 1-1 draw at Montpellier on Friday.
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Marseille remain unbeaten in five domestic games under Jose Anigo after coming from behind to beat Evian 2-1 while Lille blew a chance to go second as they lost 2-1 to Reims.
On-loan winger Pape Amodou Sougou put Marseille in front against his parent club, but Benoit Cheyrou equalised for OM and Andre-Pierre Gignac netted what turned out to be the winner before the interval.
It was Marseille's first-ever win away to Evian and the three points lifted them back up to fifth place in the Ligue 1 table.
Lille meanwhile suffered only their second home defeat of the season as they slumped to a 2-1 loss against Reims, where Odair Fortes and Grzegorz Krychowiak hit second half goals.
Anthony Weber put the ball through his own goal to give Lille hope with two minutes left but it was too little, too late as the Champagne-region outfit held on for their eighth victory of the season.
The defeat, only Lille's fourth in 20 outings, keeps them third and seven points back of leaders Paris Saint-Germain while Reims climb above Bordeaux and Nantes into a tie with Marseille for fifth place.
Marseille remain eight points adrift of the Champions League qualification places despite their key win at Evian.
Last summer, OM raided Evian to sign their Tunisian international forward Saber Khalifa, with Senegalese winger Sougou moving in the opposite direction on a season-long loan deal.
Both players featured prominently at the Parc des Sports, with Sougou meeting a left-wing corner to send a looping header over goalkeeper Steve Mandanda and into the net at the far post on 15 minutes.
It was his fourth league goal of the season, although he refused to celebrate against the club to whom he still belongs.
The visitors were level within seven minutes, though, as Cheyrou collected a loose ball in a central position 25 yards from goal and curled a beautiful shot over 'keeper Bertrand Laquait and into the net.
Gignac then made it 2-1 in the 38th minute, heading in his sixth goal in five games in all competitions from a clipped Florian Thauvin cross.
OM had chances to increase their lead in the second half, notably when Khalifa hit the bar as he attempted to lob Laquait from 30 yards.
However, they held on to claim what was their first win in the league since late November, while the defeat leaves Evian just three points above the drop zone.
Earlier, Nantes beat local rivals Lorient 1-0 at the Stade de la Beaujoire, Ismael Bangoura firing home his first goal for the club since May 2012 to seal the points with just a minute remaining.
Yann Jouffre hit the bar from a free-kick in stoppage time for Lorient, who suffered a first defeat in eight Ligue 1 games.
Nantes are sixth after the win, and the impact of the Guinean Bangoura was particularly welcome.
The southern Brittany side face the prospect of a FIFA-imposed transfer ban, of at least a year, for allegedly going against the rules with their signing of Bangoura from Emirati club Al Nasr in 2012.
That could prove particularly damaging if this season's eight-goal top scorer Filip Djordjevic, who set up Bangoura's goal against Lorient, leaves as expected when his contract expires in the summer.
Paris Saint-Germain were not at their very best in their first Ligue 1 game of 2014, but they still managed to extend their lead at the top of the table to five points after coming from behind to beat Ajaccio 2-1.
Bottom club Ajaccio had taken the lead at the Stade Francois-Coty through an early Eduardo goal, but Ezequiel Lavezzi pulled the visitors level before the break and Blaise Matuidi headed in what proved to be the winner after 74 minutes.
It was not a classic performance from Laurent Blanc's side, but they are now five points clear at the top of the table from Monaco, who were held to a 1-1 draw at Montpellier on Friday.
"We knew this would be a difficult match. We needed to be on top of our game in the opening 20 minutes but we were not, and we switched off and conceded a goal," said Blanc.
"That galvanised them, but we managed to get the equaliser, and in the second half we had chances to put the game to bed.
"We have had a little break, and it takes the bodies and heads of the players a little while to get back into things."
Monaco were held to a 1-1 draw at Montpellier on Friday.
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