Ligue 1 Week 19 action - Unstoppable Bordeaux end year on top
Wednesday 30 December 2009
The last action of 2009 in Le Championnat saw leaders Bordeaux open up a nine-point gap at the top and notch up their sixth straight win in the process.
Laurent Blanc’s side fell behind to an early goal by Paulo Machado in Toulouse but recovered to overturn the early setback. The visitors took only five minutes to respond with the sought-after Marouane Chamakh levelling matters after expertly heading home from a Benoît Trémoulinas cross. The game decisively turned in the 73rd minute when Toulouse player Cheik M’Bengué was adjudged to have brought down the lively Chamakh just outside the box. From the resulting free-kick, Wendel’s shot looked to be going wide but took a cruel deflection off the wall and deceived goalkeeper Mathieu Valverde. The 10 men of Toulouse rallied in search of an equaliser but ultimately could not find a way through a Bordeaux side marching towards their second consecutive Ligue 1 title.
The only other team in a rich vein of form in Le Championnat and showing any sign of matching Les Girondins is Lille. Les Dogues continued their outstanding form after their sixth consecutive victory in Ligue 1 in yet another destruction of their league rivals. The latest team to be steamrollered by the Lille goal-scoring machine was Nancy, who were victims of a vicious second-half display. The outstanding Gervinho notched his 10th and 11th goals of the season with Pierre-Alain Frau and Eden Hazard completing the rout. Lille have now scored 23 goals in their last six Ligue 1 outings, which has seen Les Dogues rocket up the table into second position. Despite this formidable goal-scoring prowess and scintillating form, Lille sit nine points behind leaders Bordeaux but are displaying the dominance of Laurent Blanc’s talented and strong side.
Bordeaux’s biggest rivals Lyon ended the year in the most miserable fashion possible with a home defeat to top-six rivals Montpellier. Victor Hugo Montaño put the visitors ahead before Bafétimbi Gomis looked to have salvaged a point for the home side. However, Joris Marveaux won it at the death for Montpellier to condemn Lyon to their fifth defeat of the season. The result drops Les Gones down into sixth place, 13 points behind rivals Bordeaux capping a miserable domestic year for Lyon with their grip on the title crown well and truly disintegrated.
Elsewhere, Marseille suffered a shock result at home to rivals Auxerre with a brace from Dennis Oliech meaning that Les Phoceens lose more ground on pace-setters Bordeaux. Bottom club Grenoble suffered a battering in the capital after PSG rallied to a 4-0 win. Lorient produced a valiant performance to defeat Valenciennes at the Stade du Moustoir in a thrilling 3-2 victory. Relegation threatened Le Mans played out a score draw with Monaco at the Stade Leon-Bollée, while Sochaux pulled further away from the relegation places following a 2-0 victory over Stade-Rennais. Nice and Boulogne played out an entertaining 2-2 draw and Lens scored a late penalty to defeat Saint-Etienne at the Stade Felix Bollaert.
Full Results
Wednesday December 23, 2009
Toulouse 1-2 Bordeaux
PSG 4-0 Grenoble
Lyon 1-2 Montpellier
Sochaux 2-0 Stade-Rennais
Lorient 3-2Valenciennes
Marseille 0-2 Auxerre
Nancy 0-4 Lille
Le Mans 1-1 Monaco
Lens 1-0 Saint-Etienne
Nice 2-2 Boulogne
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