Bordeaux edge seven-goal thriller

Olympique Lyonnais may have strengthened their position at the top of Ligue 1 with yet another impressive victory but for once they were overshadowed as FC Girondins de Bordeaux and Toulouse FC played out a seven-goal thriller with substitute Pierre Ducasse's late winner ensuring Johan Elmander's 12-minute hat-trick was in vain.

Topsy-turvy
The home side had been cruising at half-time. Two goals from Wendell (7, 39) either side of Alou Diarra's 33rd-minute effort had left them in complete command but struggling Toulouse, and specifically Elmander, had other ideas. He pulled one back from the penalty spot just after the hour and eleven minutes later it was 3-3 and the Sweden striker had completed a memorable hat-trick. Yet it will perhaps be remembered for all the wrong reasons as Toulouse were reduced to ten men when Nicolas Dieuze was sent off with seven minutes left and four minutes Ducasse earned Bordeaux the points.

On-song Lyon
The win moved Laurent Blanc's team, who lost 5-0 to CM Caen last weekend, third in Ligue 1, but they remain nine points adrift of Lyon after the perennial champions stamped their authority with an emphatic victory against RC Strasbourg. Kim Källström (12, 80 penalty), Juninho Pernambucano (18), Karim Benzema (64) and François Clerc (78) were all among the goals as the hosts triumphed 5-0 at the Stade de Gerland. Valenciennes FC made it a hat-trick of home wins as two goals from Grégory Pujol helped them to a 3-0 victory against a Stade Rennais FC team that began the day sixth in the standings. Rennes, who had fallen behind to Steve Savidan's early strike, played the last half-hour with ten men following John Mensah's dismissal.