France round-up: Monaco edge ahead

AS Monaco FC moved to the top of the Ligue 1 table on goal difference from defending champions Olympique Lyonnais following a 2-0 win against RC Strasbourg.

Prso opener
Croatian international striker Dado Prso opened the scoring on 18 minutes when he collected a pass from Jérôme Rothen to score. However, Strasbourg defended resolutely and continued to frustrate the home side until the 69th minute when Congolese forward Shabani Nonda evaded a number of tackles before putting the ball into the net to seal Monaco's win.

Hard-won victory
Monaco coach Didier Deschamps admitted that the victory had been hard-won but was satisfied with the result. "This game was not an easy one," he said. "We badly needed the win and we did it well."

Narrow win
Olympique de Marseille maintained their own title challenge with a narrow 1-0 victory at last season’s runners-up RC Lens. Former France international defender Frank Leboeuf scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot after 33 minutes to give Alain Perrin's side their first win in six games.

Tough test
Marseille maintained their composure in a hard game with few clear goalscoring opportunities, and held on for all three points despite losing defender Abdoulaye Meité to a red card five minutes from time.

Well placed
The result moved Marseille to within two points of the top of the table and back into third place above FC Girondins de Bordeaux.