Olympique Marseille remained on course for a first French championship in 18 years after thrashing south coast neighbors Nice 4-1 on Sunday to move two points clear at the Ligue 1 summit.
Ivory Coast winger Bakary Kone put the hosts ahead three minutes before halftime and Stephane Mbia headed home from a corner in the 52nd minute, with Lucho Gonzalez the supplier on both occasions.
Mathieu Valbuena made it 3-0 in the 71st minute, lifting the ball over David Ospina with the outside of his right foot from Mamadou Niang’s lay-off, before Souleymane Diawara converted another Lucho corner with a towering header.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Emerse Fae claimed a stoppage-time consolation for Eric Roy’s side.
All of Marseille’s title rivals except Auxerre dropped points over the weekend, with Olympique Lyonnais and Lille drawing 1-1 earlier on Sunday.
The Mediterranean giants have a game in hand on Auxerre, Lyon, Montpellier and Lille, and will open up a five-point lead over the chasing pack with victory in their delayed match at Sochaux tomorrow.
Despite the victory, Marseille striker Mathieu Valbuena urged caution.
“The confidence is there, we all work for each other. We know that in the newspapers tomorrow, we will be described as champions. Of course, we are in first place, but we have to remain calm,” Valbuena said.
Second-placed Auxerre maintained their drive for a European place after Romanian striker Daniel Niculae smashed home in the 88th minute to bring them a 1-0 win at Nancy.
“We’re five points above Lille, which is the most important thing,” said Auxerre captain Benoit Pedretti, whose side must finish in the top five if they are to play European soccer next season. “We have to avoid sixth place. It would be annoying to have done all that and not qualify for Europe.”
Olympique Lyonnais captain Cris headed in from a free-kick to earn his side a point at home to Lille after they had fallen behind to a deflected Pierre-Alain Frau strike in the 62nd minute.
Both sides finished the match with 10 men, after Lille defender Ricardo Costa and Lyon defensive midfielder Maxime Gonalons were dismissed for committing two bookable offenses.
“I say bravo to the players because after a European Cup match they put in a very solid performance,” Lyon coach Claude Puel said.
Lyon, who will face Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-finals after knocking out Girondins Bordeaux on Wednesday, remain third on 58 points, level with Montpellier, who fall to fourth on goal difference.
Lille stay sixth, seven points shy of Marseille, while the battle for a top-three finish and a place in next season’s Champions League threatens to go down to the final weekend of the season.
French Ligue 1
Team | P | GD | PTS | |
1 | Olympique Marseille | 31 | 27 | 62 |
2 | Auxerre | 32 | 7 | 60 |
3 | Olympique Lyonnais | 32 | 19 | 58 |
4 | Montpellier | 32 | 7 | 58 |
5 | Girondins Bordeaux | 30 | 20 | 56 |
6 | Lille | 32 | 23 | 55 |
7 | Rennes | 32 | 15 | 50 |
8 | Lorient | 32 | 14 | 50 |
9 | Monaco | 32 | 0 | 49 |
10 | Paris Saint-Germain | 32 | 11 | 44 |
11 | Valenciennes | 31 | -1 | 44 |
12 | Toulouse | 32 | 5 | 42 |
13 | Nancy | 32 | -5 | 42 |
14 | Lens | 32 | -8 | 38 |
15 | Sochaux | 31 | -17 | 37 |
16 | Nice | 32 | -17 | 36 |
17 | Saint-Etienne | 32 | -14 | 35 |
18 | Boulogne-sur-Mer | 32 | -31 | 24 |
19 | Le Mans | 31 | -22 | 22 |
20 | Grenoble | 32 | -33 | 15 |
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