France round-up: PSG rise continues

Paris Saint-Germain FC recorded their fifth successive victory to take advantage of the leaders' slip-ups and move menacingly into third position in the Ligue 1 table.

Leaders struggle
As AS Monaco FC, Olympique de Marseille and Olympique Lyonnais all failed to win, the capital club produced some scintillating football to brush aside Le Mans UC 72 with a five-star performance. But their 5-1 victory came after Thabang Molefe had stunned the home crowd at the Parc des Princes by scoring Mans second goal of the season to open the scoring.

Twin doubles
Goals from Pauleta and Fabrice Fiorese put PSG in the ascendancy before half-time and both scored again after the break - then Reinaldo completed the rout, meaning Vahid Halilhodzic's side have 19 points from ten games.

Giuly rescue
Monaco are still top, now with 23 points following their 1-1 draw at home against AJ Auxerre. Bonaventure Kalou put the out-of-sorts visitors ahead on six minutes but Ludovic Giuly's seventh goal of the season, a rasper from 20 metres, levelled the scores.

Luyindula leveller
Lyon failed to take full advantage of Marseille's crushing 4-1 Friday night defeat at the hands of RC Strasbourg when they entertained FC Sochaux-Montbéliard at the stade Gerland. Lyon fell behind to Mickael Isabey's 64th-minute goal but rescued a draw thanks to a thumping strike by Péguy Luyindula.

Nantes go fourth
FC Nantes Atlantique are sitting in fourth position, level on points with PSG, after recording a fabulous 3-1 win away against FC Metz. Pape Thiaw was sent off for the home side, but not before he had cancelled out Pascal Delhommeau's opener with a 22nd-minute strike of his own. Luigi Glombard and Grégory Pujol scored the second-half goals to hand Nantes all three points.

Bordeaux boos
In the weekend's other games, FC Girondins de Bordeaux were booed off the pitch by their supporters at the Chaban-Delmas after losing 2-1 to Toulouse FC, for whom Cedric Faure scored twice - once from the penalty spot. Montpellier Hérault SC defeated EA Guingamp 2-0 with two goals from Carlos Rui Pataca.

Rool off
Elsewhere, SC Bastia recorded a 3-1 victory against RC Lens, who had Cyril Rool sent off for the 17th time in his career. Mamadou Bagayoko was also shown the red card but his AJ Ajaccio team-mates held out for a 0-0 draw against Lille OSC - Stade Rennais FC and OGC Nice also played out a goalless draw.