Bernardi keeps Monaco smiling

A solitary goal from Lucas Bernardi ensured AS Monaco FC's tremendous week continued by securing a 1-0 win against FC Nantes Atlantique in Ligue 1 on Saturday.

Six-point advantage
The leaders made sure of their place in the last 16 of the UEFA Champions League in midweek and took advantage of second-placed Olympique Lyonnais' 3-1 defeat against Stade Rennais FC to stretch their domestic advantage to six points. The goal came 76 minutes into the encounter at La Beaujoire, Bernardi firing in from the edge of the area after being set up by Fernando Morientes.

Fabulous Fiorese
An 89th-minute goal by Fabrice Fiorese gave visiting Paris Saint-Germain FC a priceless 1-0 win against Olympique de Marseille at the Vélodrome on Sunday evening, bringing the sides level in third place on 27 points, nine adrift of leaders Monaco.

Santos double
Earlier in the afternoon, FC Sochaux Montbéliard weathered a second-half storm from AJ Auxerre to hold out for three points in their game at the Stade Bonal. Pierre-Alain Frau's eighth goal of the season put the home side ahead and two further strikes from Santos saw them holding a three-goal advantage at the interval. But Djibril Cissé scored twice in the second half - taking his goal tally to 12 - as the visitors made Sochaux battle for the points.

Hadji leveller
Elsewhere, RC Lens climbed up to sixth by beating EA Guingamp by the odd goal in three. John Utaka's goal just past the half-hour mark opened the scoring for Lens and Daniel Moreira doubled the lead 12 minutes into the second half. Moumouni Dagano pulled a goal back in vain for the visitors. The day's other game, between FC Girondins de Bordeaux and SC Bastia ended in a 1-1 draw thanks to Youssouf Hadji's added-time leveller for visiting Bastia.

Spoils shared
OGC Nice were also held to a 1-1 draw when they welcomed FC Metz to the Stade Du Ray on Saturday. Nice's Christophe Meslin executed a neat lob to cancel out Toifilou Maoulida's opener for the visitors and although both teams hit the woodwork in the second half, there were no further goals.

Baciu heroics
Honours were also even at La Meinau where RC Strasbourg shared four goals with struggling Lille OSC - but should have registered their sixth league win of the campaign. The home side were leading 2-1 against the ten men of LOSC, who had seen Mathieu Chalme dismissed on 65 minutes, but conceded an added-time equaliser struck by Marius Baciu.

Four-goal haul
Toulouse FC are bottom of the standings after their 2-1 defeat against AC Ajaccio, for whom Mamadou Bagayoko scored a late winner. Le Mans UC 72 were the weekend's highest scorers, moving off bottom spot with a stunning 4-0 win against mid-table Montpellier Herault SC. In their 15th game of the season, strikes from Fabrice Pancrate, Laurent Peyrelade, Daniel Cousin and James Fanchone increased the home side's goal tally for the campaign by 50 per cent.