Result of the week to Les Auxerrois.
Bordeaux and Marseille both played on Wednesday, leaving the former with 1 game still in hand and the latter caught up with the rest of the clubs. It won’t do Les Girondins any good, however, as they currently sit in 6th place, 11 points off the lead.
Although most matches saw reduced scoring this week, there were a few which featured an abundance of goals along with some handbags.
The result of the week goes to AJ Auxerre, who throttled Lorient 4-1 to tighten their hold on 2nd place and the corresponding Champions League position.
Wednesday, April 14th:
Le Mans 2-1 Bordeaux – Bordeaux held 60% of the possession but were pushed all over the pitch by a Le Mans side that committed 22 fouls in a physical performance. Les Girondins actually scored the opening goal when Henrique sent home a header in the 8th minute, but Le Mans answered in the 17th minute when Le Tallec finished off a corner from Corchia. The match slowed significantly, with the next opportunity seeing a long attempt from Wendel turned away by Le Mans GK Ovono. The match-winner came in in stoppage time of the first half, and provided a clear illustration of Bordeaux’s recent troubles as miscommunication between Tremoulinas and Bordeaux GK Carrasso allowed Dossevi to find the back of the net (and win the GSTGC award in the process). Ovono was spared his own blushes in the 58th minute when a shot from Cavenaghi went through his arms but came back off the post. Although Le Mans were down to 10 men in the 83rd minute after Cisse received his 2nd YC for a foul on Henrique, the latter had the only other chance of the match, with his header easily stopped by Ovono in the 87th minute.
Sochaux 0-1 Marseille – In contrast to their rival, Marseille saw some luck go their way as a late match-winner sealed a vital 3 points. In the 7th minute a shot from Boudebouz was turned away by L’OM GK Mandanda, with the follow-up from Ideye cleared off the line by Marseille defender Bonnart. Ideye responded in the 12th minute with a shot that went wide, while on the other end of the pitch Niang was stopped by Sochaux GK Dreyer. The first goal looked to have come inthe 50th minute when Abriel played Niang through and he found the back of the net, but he was adjudged to have been offside. Marseille were disappointed yet again on the hour mark when a free-kick from Gonzalez beat Dreyer initially but hit the crossbar, allowing Dreyer to eventually claim the ball. Sochaux were similarly denied by the woodwork in the 72nd minute, and their misery was complete in the 88th minute when a free-kick from Gonzalez was sent on by M’bia, who was denied by Dreyer only for his next effort to go in cleanly. Controversy erupted in stoppage time when Maurice-Belay sent in a header for a goal only to be ruled offside, and Sochaux left the pitch with nothing to show for their efforts.
Saturday, April 17th:
Auxerre 4-1 Lorient – Lorient managed to earn 12 corner kicks in the match, but despite that advantage (and fairly even statistics on all other match aspects) they were simply run off the pitch by an Auxerre side determined to play Champions League football next season. In the 9th minute Amalfitano hit the post, after which Les Auxerrois began to exert control. Oliech and Jelen forced saves from Lorient GK Audard, and it was clear that a goal would not be long in coming. It was provided in the 35th minute on a quick counter-attack begun by Niculae, who found Oliech with a nice pass for a clinical finish. The lead was 2-0 just 2 minutes later when Jelen capitalized on an error from Lorient defender Marchal to send home a goal. The beginning of the second half saw Mvuemba send a free-kick barely over the crossbar, and Auxerre once again began to dominate. In the 55th minute Birsa finished off some good solo work by finding the back of the net on his free-kick, and Lorient were down to 10 men in the 58th minute when Morel received his 2nd YC, with the resulting free-kick from Birsa hitting the post. Surprisingly, Lorient managed to pull a goal back in the 83rd minute when Gameiro received a pass from Fanchone and caught Auxerre GK Sorin out of position. Their troubles continued, however, with Audard receiving a straight RC in the 87th minute for bringing down Jelen (who went off injured) in the box. Lorient defender Sosa stepped in between the posts for the resulting PK, but despite his best efforts Hengbart finished off the match.
Boulogne 1-2 Marseille – For the second time in 4 days Marseille was involved in a contentious finish that saw them take the full points in a huge boost to their title hopes. The pace of the match was very slow, with the opening chance not coming until the 27th minute when Valbuena hit the post. Shortly after that, Agouazi forced a save from L’OM GK Mandanda at the other end of the pitch. The goal finally came in the 44th minute when Valbuena easily finished off a pass from Niang. In the 58th minute Brandao had a header deflected, forcing a good save from Boulogne GK Bedenik. The same players were involved again in the 67th minute when Brandao beat the offside trap but was denied by Bedenik once more. Boulogne equalized in the 82nd minute when Blayac latched onto a poor clearance of a corner kick to send his shot home, but Marseille were the beneficiary of a disputed call for the match-winner. In second-half stoppage-time Boulogne defender Lachor was adjudged to have committed a handball in the box, with Taiwo sending home the resulting PK to steal the 3 points.
Grenoble 2-2 Sochaux – Despite the score, this match was relatively listless as both clubs have little left for which to play. A frenzy soon after the 10th minute saw Courtois send a volley barely over the crossbar and then have a free-kick turned away by Sochaux GK Dreyer, while the latter’s teammates capitalized on the other end of the pitch in the 12th minute when Ideye finished off a free-kick from Martin. The rest of the half saw almost no action, and the next significant opportunity resulted in a goal in the 55th minute when Ljuboja took a pass from Matsui to send in the equalizer. The latter then got a goal of his own in the 63rd minute when a header from Akrour was pushed out by Dreyer to the waiting Matsui for the follow-up. Sochaux got their own equalizer in the 74th minute when Brechet sent home a free-kick from Gavanon.
Nice 0-0 Lens – Nice earned 8 corner kicks and took 10 shots, but managed to only put 3 of those on frame, while Lens were content to commit 21 fouls and make almost no offensive progress. Lens did get the earliest opportunity in the match, with Boukari shooting wide in the 6th minute. Nice then began to apply pressure, with a shot from Bagayoko and a volley from Sable drawing nice saves from Lens GK Kasraoui, who then watched Sable send a free-kick into the side-netting. Lens began the second half as quickly as they did the first, with Maoulida having his header blocked and Nice GK Ospina denying the follow-up effort from Milovanovic. Nice then took their chances, with Civelli heading and ben Saada volleying over the crossbar. Lens had a final chance at earning the full points, but Roudet had his free-kick headed over the crossbar by Monnet-Paquet late in the match.
Rennes 0-0 Nancy – The clubs combined for few shots and few fouls in the snoozer of the week, with Nancy not even managing to put a shot on frame. In the 8th minute Bangoura had his lob attempt tipped over the crossbar by Nancy GK Bracigliano, with the latter denying the former again in the 28th minute. Shortly before the half, Fanni had his header cleared off the line by Nancy forward Brison, while soon after the restart Marveaux had his shot blocked by Nancy defender Sami. The pace of the match devolved quickly, although Kembo-Ekoko drew saves from Bracigliano twice in the waning moments. The netminder did well in stoppage time to keep out a header from Hansson, preserving the draw.
Valenciennes 0-1 Le Mans – In a match that was fairly even statistically, Valenciennes earned 9 corner kicks to only 1 for Le Mans but it was the latter club that came away with the 3 points. In the 4th minute Maiga sent his header wide of the mark, while near the half-hour mark Le Tallec had his free-kick turned away by Valenciennes GK Penneteau. The second half began with a close-range shot from Dossevi that was saved by Penneteau, who then watched Maiga put his header off the post on the hour mark. Just 4 minutes later chaos ensued when a shot from Danic was denied by a great save Le Mans GK Ovono, who then denied the follow-up volley from Pujol only to watch the ball roll along the line before finally being cleared by Le Mans defender Corchia. After saving the match, Corchia then stole the full points in the 93rd minute when he curled his free-kick around the wall, hitting the post and sneaking over the line.
Bordeaux 2-2 Lyon – With Les Girondins struggling to regain their title hopes and Les Gones aiming to solidify their Champions League status, neither side will be truly happy with this draw. In a match that saw almost identical statistics for both clubs (11 shots, 4 on goal for both sides; 21 vs. 23 fouls), Bordeaux will be the most disappointed, twice allowing Lyon to equalize. Early on Gomis saw his shot hit the post, and the opening goal then came at the other end of the pitch in the 26th minute when Chamakh drifted in to head home the cross from Gourcuff. The remainder of the half was played at a more measured pace as the clubs continued to size each other up, but the equalizer came soon after the restart when Ederson sent in a brilliant rocket from 25 yards in the 55th minute. Bordeaux quickly retook the lead on a fantastic solo effort from Plasil in the 62nd minute, but it did not take long for the equalizer, with Cris sending home a twisting header on a free-kick in the 71st minute. The end of the match saw a massive donnybrook, beginning with Reveillere receiving a straight RC for a terrible tackle on Tremoulinas, who then received a straight RC of his own for retaliation. As the sides came together in mass confusion, with several players jostling in the scrum, Jussie also received a straight RC, sending Les Girondins down to 9 men. Lyon were unable to take advantage, however, as the referee was more than happy to blow his whistle to signal the end of the match shortly after play was restarted.
Sunday, April 19th:
Lille 4-0 Monaco – Lille reignited their European ambitions with a destruction of Monaco that will seem a surprising result if one only looks at the match statistics. Les Dogues got off to a quick start, with a free-kick from Cabaye drawing an excellent save from Monaco GK Ruffier in the 13th minute. Just 1 minute later Chedjou headed home from a Cabaye corner for the opening goal. Nene sent a shot barely wide in the 25th minute for Monaco’s best effort of the half, but they would go down 2-0 just before the break when Debuchy was fouled in the box by Lolo and Cabaye sent home the resulting PK. Incensed by the call, Monaco gaffer Guy Lacombe was sent to the stands, but he should be glad that he didn’t have to watch the remainder from too close. After the restart Nene tried his luck again with a free-kick, but this time he was denied by Lille GK Landreau. Cabaye finished off his brace in the 75th minute on a great pass from Gervinho, and the dismantling was complete in stoppage time when de Melo headed home a corner from Obraniak.
Montpellier 1-1 Toulouse – Montpellier continue to slide, having now won only 1 of their last 7 matches. In the 11th minute Costa drew a save from Toulouse GK Blondel, while Costa sent a header wide a few minutes later. After Camara also sent a shot wide, the opening goal came in the 32nd minute when Belhanda started a counter-attack and fed Costa for the finish. Toulouse thought they had responded just before the break on a header from Congre, but Montpellier GK Jourdren made a fantastic save. Toulouse continued the pressure, with Costa failing to complete his brace near the hour mark and Lacombe denied by Blondel 5 minutes later. After Machado hit the bar, Toulouse finally got the equalizer in stoppage time when Regattin beat two defenders and played in Kazim-Richards for the clinical finish.
Saint-Etienne 0-0 Paris Saint-Germain – Although Les Verts did not put a shot on frame, they only had to turn away PSG twice to maintain the draw and move closer to safety. In the 11th minute Varrault put a header over the bar, while 10 minutes later Riviere and Bergessio both managed to miss a chance to find the back of the net during a goalmouth scramble. In the 34th minute Kezman was denied by Saint-Etienne GK Janot for the only shot on goal of the half. N’Daw saw his volley blocked by the PSG defense to end the half, while the beginning of the second half saw Luyindula send his shot barely wide of the post. Each side had a final chance to end the suffering of their supporters, but Benalouane headed over the bar while a volley from Luyindula drew a great save from Janot.
So, after Matchday 33 the top of the table looks like this: (1) Marseille, with 68 points on a 20-8-5 record and a +29 goal differential; (2) Auxerre, with 63 points on an 18-9-6 record and a +10 goal differential; (3) Lyon, with 59 points on a 16-11-6 record and a +19 goal differential; and (4) Montpellier, with 59 points on a 17-8-8 record and a +7 goal differential.
Lille have moved into 5th place on 58 points and have a significantly better goal differential (+27) than Montpellier, while Bordeaux are in 6th place on 57 points and a +19 goal differential, albeit with a game in hand.
