Auxerre beat Monaco 2-0 to earn their seventh straight win and take the top spot in Ligue 1 on Saturday.
Defending champions Bordeaux lost their first home match this season, going down 1-0 to Valenciennes, while Lyon were held 1-1 at last-place Grenoble. Also on Saturday, Lens beat Nancy 2-1 and Rennes defeated Le Mans by the same score.
In Auxerre, Adama Coulibaly outjumped the Monaco defense to head home a free-kick from Benoit Pedretti on the stroke of halftime. Delvin Ndinga sealed the win in the 88th minute, playing a one-two with Daniel Niculae, before placing the ball out of goalkeeper Stephane Ruffier’s reach.
Monaco, with 22 points, played without Brazilian midfielder Nene, the leagues leading striker with nine goals.
In Bordeaux, Valenciennes midfielder Fahid Ben Khalfallah pulled the ball back for Mamadou Samassa, who beat goalkeeper Cedric Carrasso with a diagonal shot in the eighth minute to raise his season tally to five.
Forward Marouane Chamakh joined the list of injured Bordeaux players with a bruised hip and was replaced by David Bellion in the 17th minute.
In Grenoble, Bafetimbi Gomis set up forward Cesar Delgado, who opened the scoring for Lyon in the 65th minute.
Grenoble were down to 10 men in the 70th minute when Laurent Courtois was sent off, but managed to equalize in the 72nd minute when substitute Danijel Ljuboja outpaced the Lyon defense to collect a long pass and beat France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris.
In Lens, Paul Alo’o Efoulou notched his fourth goal of the season to give Nancy the lead.
Alo’o Efoulou fired home from close range in the 52nd minute. Forward Issam Jemaa leveled for Lens in the 81st minute, converting a rebound. Three minutes later, Kevin Monnet-Paquet tucked home the winner.
In Rennes, Kader Mangane put the host side ahead in the eighth minute, but forward Roland Lamah equalized for Le Mans with a strike from the edge of the box in the 53rd minute. Asamoah Gyan beat the offside trap in the 80th minute to give Rennes the victory.
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