Ligue 1 - Hay Liga!

pickarooney

I don't know if anyone has an interest in the French Championnat but Olympique Lyon continued their recent run of poor form with a 2-0 capitulation at the Stade Gerland against Auxerre today, leaving the title wide open. There hasn't been as much at stake in a Paris-Marseille grudge match in quite a while but a win for PSG would put them top while victory for the Phocéens would put them level with Le Guen's men one point behind the perennial champions. Four points separate the top 6 teams and with all 6 subject to erratic turns of form this is one European league which is, for the first time this decade, hard to predict with two months remaining.

Half-time at Parc des Princes and it's 1-1 with goals from Zenden and Giuly.

Allez l'OM!

kryogen

I heard Lyon were not exactly as impressive this year alright but surely having the most overrated oh sorry, i meant, best striker in the world on their books they will surely manage to win the league in the end

eZe^

Come on Giuly you legend! Fastest player in professional football who's sh*t at the actual game. :pac::pac:

pickarooney

3-1 to the boys in white now. They have a habit of conceding boatloads of goals in the last 10 minutes but if they can avoid that they'll go second with a +3 better goal difference over PSG, with one point between the top three. OM's top marksman has a risible 8 strikes to his name so far but they're still outscoring everyone else in the league.

pickarooney

Getting intersting now zith first Bordeaux and then Marseille leapfrogging Lyon. One point separates the three with OL playing Sochaux at home tomorrow.

callaway92

When was the last time Lyon didnt actually win Ligue 1...2004/2005???

pickarooney

Way back - 2000-2001. At that point Lyon had never won a single league title.
PSG lost and Lyon won again last night, so they're back on top once more.

pickarooney

With Lyon playing in the late Sunday game, first Bordeaux then Marseille had chances to go top, which both duly did in turn. Lyon then failed to win and are now for the first time since early in the season off the top. Lille and PSG did themselves no favours by drawing. Third place Bordeaux host Lyon next week while OL face OM a couple of weeks later in the Vélodrome for what could be the title decider, although there are still potentially six teams in this.

Tyrone Mears may yet get a league winner's medal.

pickarooney

Marseille keep the pressure up with a late win in the early game. Four points clear pending the clash of second and third as OL travel to Bordeaux tonight.

pickarooney

Marseille gone five clear as Lyon dropped two points against the fading challenge of PSG and Bordeaux were busy with the League Cup final (which they won in convincing style against second division opponents). It's the Phoceens to lose now, but with a tough series of matches coming up, there are plenty of banana skins and a fair few possible twists left in this one.

pickarooney

Bordeaux will be licking their lips in anticipation of the visit of 17th place Sochaux tomorow after Lyon continued their rotten run of form with a 2-0 reverse at Valenciennes and Marseille had to fight for a share of the spoils at home against a Toulouse side which has not given up on the Champions League. PSG could leapfrog OL into third if they beat a Rennes side with little left to play for at the Parc des Princes.

Bordeaux need to score four to go top. Sochaux are embroiled in an almighty four-way battle to avoid joining Le Havre in D2 next season. The Girondins have a lengthy trek to the north-east to play a Valenciennes side with their dander up in midweek while OM head east for the south coast derby against the team in eighth. Which is Nice.

pickarooney

Fifteen minutes gone and Sochaux haven't shown up. Bordeaux cruising and within two goals of top spot as we speak (well, as I speak).

CantGetNoSleep

A shock PSG defeat also stopped Lyon from slipping out of CL qualifying spots

Surely Benzema would be gone next year if they don't play in the CL, especially given that it is a WC year?

pickarooney

With the top two winning in midweek, Bordeaux drew first blood today with a narrow home win over lowly Le Mans thanks in no small part to the irrepressible Yoann Gourcuff. The pressure is on Marseille who now must beat Lyon at home tomorrow and not slip up in the two remaining matches. Their home record in recent seasons against the outgoing champions has been rather poor and they will need to up their performance and notch a fair few goals in these last three games to have a chance of lifting the trophy as their run-in is cinsiderably harder than that of their rivals.

With Gerets quitting effective on the last day of the season, Didier Deschamps will be leading l'OM into the Champions League next year while Paul Le Guen will be job-hunting over the summer despite the impressive turnaround of PSG under his tutelage.

Trippie

Gourcuff really has been phenomenal this year. I would love to see milan take him back jettison seedorf,seel ronaldinho to city and let him adapt to that role. I could see great things from him in the team if that happened

pickarooney

It looks to have all come apart in familiar fashion for OM. A reckless approach to this decisive home encounter saw them ship two goals to a purring Karim 'Mercedes' Benzema. A late Wiltord goal shed a brief glimmer of hope on a match that was gleefully snuffed out by Juninho with his 99th strike for the Lyonnais.

Hope turns to expectation now in Bordeaux as Laurent Blanc's men have only their own results to worry about in the final two games. Those might be the last two games for Gourcuff in navy as on the evidence of his performances in the latter half of the season, Milan will be clamouring to get their man back.

CantGetNoSleep

Great game at the Veledrome tonight

Not a hope of Gourcuff playing in France next season, he'll either be replacing Kaka in the Milan side, or if they sell him it will be far too much for a French side to afford, has been one of the most successful loan moves for all parties concerned in recent years