Bafetimbi Gomis marked his return to Saint-Etienne by scoring the winning goal for Lyon in the Rhone derby on Saturday, after league leaders Bordeaux won 1-0 at home to Monaco.
|Last Updated: Nov 01, 2009, 02:16 PM IST|Source: Bureau
Paris: Bafetimbi Gomis marked his return to Saint-Etienne by scoring the winning goal for Lyon in the Rhone derby on Saturday, after league leaders Bordeaux won 1-0 at home to Monaco.
Meanwhile Marseille were grateful to Brazilian forward Brandao, whose 75th-minute strike rescued a 1-1 draw at home to 10-man Toulouse.
Bordeaux`s victory had taken the defending champions four points clear at the summit, but Lyon cut the gap to two points and moved above Monaco into second place with victory over Saint-Etienne in the evening game.
"It`s nice to look at the table tonight," said Bordeaux coach Laurent Blanc."We knew that if we won we`d stay first and we know that other teams can drop points. But for me, we should always focus on our own performances. I`m pleased that the team have learnt how to win again."
Lyon created the majority of the chances in an open game at Saint-Etienne but found Les Verts goalkeeper Jeremie Janot in obstinate form, with Lisandro Lopez, Miralem Pjanic and Jean Makoun all denied by the 32-year-old.
Gomis, making his first appearance at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard since his summer move to Lyon, was heavily jeered after coming on as a second-half substitute but made sure he had the last laugh by volleying home the winner in the 83rd minute after Janot spilled a corner.
Bordeaux weathered a succession of Monaco corners in the early stages of their match at the Stade Chaban-Delmas, before visiting goalkeeper Stephane Ruffier was forced to keep out efforts from Yoan Gouffran and Wendel.
Blanc`s men continued to press in the second half and their efforts were rewarded in the 62nd minute when defender Marc Planus tapped home the winner after Ruffier had repelled a header by Marouane Chamakh.
Toulouse were reduced to 10 men in just the eighth minute of their match at Marseille when goalkeeper Yohann Pele saw red for bringing down Mamadou Niang, but Alain Casanova`s side took the lead in stunning fashion 20 minutes later when Moussa Sissoko rifled a 30-yard free-kick into the top-left corner.
Pele`s replacement Olivier Blondel, who was brought on for Paulo Machado, came to the fore thereafter, saving from Souleymane Diawara, Lucho Gonzalez and Mathieu Valbuena before half-time as Marseille sought an equaliser.
Blondel prevented Valbuena from scoring with a sublime scissor-kick early in the second period but the visitors` resistance was broken in the 75th minute when Brandao athletically volleyed in Bakary Kone`s centre from the right.
"The result wasn`t great but there`s still a long way to go in the championship," said Marseille coach Didier Deschamps, whose side are seven points behind Bordeaux in sixth place but have a game in hand.
"In the context of the match, lots of things pleased me. I think it`s by repeating this kind of performance that we can start achieving better things."
Polish striker Ireneuz Jelen scored his second brace in a week to fire Auxerre to their fifth straight league victory, a 2-1 home win over Montpellier.
Jelen, Auxerre`s top scorer last season, was on target twice in the 3-2 victory over Lille last weekend and he notched a first-half double as Jean Fernandez`s team climbed to fifth in the table.
Elsewhere, Europa League participants Lille won 2-0 at 10-man bottom club Grenoble, who are still without a point this season, while Nancy defeated Boulogne-sur-Mer 2-1 and seventh-placed Lorient were held 1-1 at Lens.
Paris Saint-Germain, whose match at Marseille last weekend was postponed after a swine flu outbreak at the capital club, travel to Sochaux on Sunday, while Nice host Le Mans and Rennes take on Valenciennes.
Bureau Report
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts.
Cookies Setting
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device and the processing of information obtained via those cookies (including about your preferences, device and online activity) by us and our commercial partners to enhance site navigation, personalise ads, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. More information can be found in our Cookies and Privacy Policy. You can amend your cookie settings to reject non-essential cookies by clicking Cookie Settings below.
Manage Consent Preferences
Strictly Necessary Cookies
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work or you may not be able to login.
Functional Cookies
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
Targeting Cookies
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They are also used to limit the number of times you see an advert as well as help measure the effectiveness of an advertising campaign. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising.
Performance Cookies
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we may not know when you have visited our site, and may not be able to monitor its performance.