Paris Saint-Germain failed to win for the first time in seven Ligue 1 matches, but their 1-1 draw at Girondins de Bordeaux on Sunday still kept the big-spenders three points clear at the top.
Second-placed Montpellier Herault were also held 1-1 at AS Saint-Etienne, while Olympique Lyonnais were beaten 2-1 at Sochaux-Montbeliard, with improving Olympique de Marseille the only side among the big clubs to register a win with a 2-0 home success over OGC Nice.
PSG took the lead at Bordeaux thanks to Mohamed Sissoko’s header on nine minutes, but the hosts hit back soon after through in-form Yoan Gouffran after good work by impressive leftback Benoit Tremoulinas.
Photo: AFP
The game then petered out, with Bordeaux more than holding their own against the title favorites.
Montpellier had similar trouble breaking down a stout defense after Romanian midfielder Banel Nicolita gave hosts Saint-Etienne a first-half advantage. Joris Marveaux leveled on the hour after a corner.
Fourth-placed Lyon were also playing mid-table opposition in Sochaux, but they lost despite dominating possession for long spells to slip seven points adrift of PSG after 13 games.
Remi Garde’s side went behind to Anthony Reveillere’s 10th-minute own-goal, only for Alexandre Lacazette to equalize for Lyon soon afterwards with a header.
Inspirational Algerian midfielder Ryad Boudebouz’s penalty just before the break after being fouled by Aly Cissokho then handed Sochaux the lead again and the 11th-placed side clung on amid intense pressure.
“If we have to score three goals each time to win, it is going to get complicated,” Garde told reporters after Lyon’s fourth straight away loss in the league. “I think the emotional impact of the derbies against Saint-Etienne, the Champions League clash with Real Madrid and lots of matches with almost always the same players means we lacked a bit of freshness.”
Marseille endured a dreadful start to the campaign, but they shot up to eighth after their third league win in a row, substitute Jordan Ayew heading home on 73 minutes and Loic Remy scoring a penalty in stoppage-time to outwit Nice.
Stade Rennais, whose coach Frederic Antonetti has put his own future in doubt, could only draw 1-1 at home with Valenciennes, but they went fifth after Toulouse surprisingly lost 2-0 at AJ Auxerre.
AS Nancy-Lorriane beat Stade Brestois 29 2-1, Stade Malherbe Caen overcame Dijon FCO 3-0 and Lorient defeated AC Ajaccio 2-0 in Sunday’s other matches.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
RSS