Yohan Cabaye scored twice to lead Lille to a 4-0 rout of Monaco in
the French league on Sunday and help his team get back in the race
for a European spot.
Paris Saint-Germain was held 0-0 at Saint-Etienne, while
Montpellier conceded a goal in stoppage time to draw with Toulouse
1-1 and miss an opportunity to take third place.
"When you're not doing what you need to do defensively, you
pay the price in the end," Montpellier coach Rene Girard told
Europe 1 radio.
Marseille beat Boulogne 2-1 on Saturday to consolidate its
lead at the top of the league and inch closer to the title.
Marseille tops the standings after 33 rounds with 68 points, five
clear of Auxerre.
In Lille, Aurelien Chedjou headed in a corner from Cabaye in
the 14th minute.
Cabaye converted a penalty on the stroke of halftime after
Mathieu Debuchy was fouled inside the area.
Ivory Coast forward Gervinho set up Cabaye to notch his ninth
goal this season in the 75th before Tulio de Melo nodded home a
corner in the 91st.
Lille climbed to fifth place with 58 points, while Monaco
remained ninth with 49.
"With that result, we're moving back into the top five.
That's great" Cabaye said. "Now we must avoid finishing sixth. The
most important thing for the team is to grab a European spot."
In Montpellier, Younes Belhanda led a counterattack and fed
Argentine midfielder Alberto Costa, who slipped the ball past
goalkeeper Olivier Blondel in the 31st minute.
But Montpellier's efforts were wasted when Colin
Kazim-Richards leveled two minutes into injury time, volleying a
close-range finish home following a cross from Adrien Regattin.
Montpellier stayed in fourth place with 59 points, level with
third-place Lyon.
"It's out of question to give away matches," Toulouse coach
Alain Casanova said. "We must be as competitive as possible. We
still have goals to reach, like getting closer to the top half of
the table."
Toulouse is in 12th place with 43 points.
In Saint-Etienne, the host team dominated the first half but
failed to convert its chances.
Cedric Varrault headed over the crossbar from a free kick
from Dimitri Payet in the 11th minute. Unmarked Gonzalo Bergessio
missed the target from close range in the 23rd, and Bergessio
inadvertently blocked a goalbound shot from teammate Guirane Ndaw
in the 38th.
PSG forward Mateja Kezman's angled strike was saved by
goalkeeper Jeremie Janot in the 34th. In the closing minutes, PSG
had the best chance when Jean-Eudes Maurice charged down the left
flank to cut the ball back for Peguy Luyindula, who fired over.
Saint-Etienne remained in 17th place with 36 points, eight
above the relegation zone.
Also Saturday, it was: Auxerre 4, Lorient 1; Bordeaux 2, Lyon
2; Rennes 0, Nancy 0; Valenciennes 0, Le Mans 1; Nice 0, Lens 0;
Grenoble 2, Sochaux 2.
