France round-up: Monaco rise to the summit

AS Monaco FC moved to the top of the Ligue 1 table with a comfortable 3-0 win against CS Sedan-Ardennes.

Unbeaten run
Previous leaders Olympique de Marseille will return to the top of the table should they take at least at point from their visit to FC Girondins de Bordeaux on Sunday. Meanwhile, Monaco, coached by former French captain Didier Deschamps, have been rewarded for their recent consistency and are unbeaten in their last nine games.

Rothen impact
Midfield player Jérôme Rothen was an important figure in their latest win, forcing Sedan defender Johann Charpenet to score an own goal in the 34th minute before setting up Sébastien Squillaci for a second five minutes later. Croatian striker Davor Prso sealed victory with a late third goal four minutes from time.

Nice stay in touch
OGC Nice remained in the title race thanks to a narrow 1-0 victory against En Avant Guingamp, with Noé Pamarot’s first goal of the season proving decisive. The defender scored from a free-kick six minutes before half-time, and Guingamp’s challenge effectively ended when midfield player Florent Malouda was sent off in the 72nd minute following two yellow cards. Monaco, Nice and Marseille are all level on 42 points.

Lyon tamed
Meanwhile, champions Olympique Lyonnais, who were also in a position to claim top spot, had to be content with a goalless draw at home against ten-man Nantes and slip to fourth place. Nantes lost defender Eric Djemba-Djemba, who was dismissed after 42 minutes for a second yellow card, but held on for a draw, with Juninho Pernambucano seeing his 69th-minute penalty saved by Nantes goalkeeper Mickael Landreau, who had conceded the penalty when he brought down Péguy Luyindula.

Tricky conditions
AJ Auxerre, who have a game in hand on the other top sides, brushed aside FC  Sochaux-Montbéliard 2-0. In difficult playing conditions, Auxerre made light of the heavy snow with goals in each half from Djibril Cissé and Philippe Mexes proving decisive.

Fortunate win
Elsewhere, Paris Saint-Germain FC were somewhat fortunate to secure a narrow 1-0 win at RC Strasbourg, with Strasbourg defender Jean-Christophe Devaux putting through his own goal on the hour for the only goal of the game. Meanwhile, RC Lens were held to a 1-1 draw at Stade Rennais FC, despite taking the lead through John Utaka. Cyril Jeunechamp earned a point for Rennes as he equalised before half-time.

Derby draw
The Corsician derby between AC Ajaccio and SC Bastia ended 1-1, with Bruno Rodriguez giving Ajaccio the lead shortly before half-time before Franck Silvestre salvaged a point for Bastia with a free-kick equaliser. The game between two struggling sides, Le Havre AC and ES Troyes Aube Champagne ended in favour of the home team, with Le Havre shrugging off the dismissal of Jean-Michel Lesage to take all three points with a penalty from captain Jérémy Hénin five minutes from time.