Montpellier tops Sochaux to claim lead
Montpellier enhanced their Ligue 1 title claims with a 2-1 home win over Sochaux with goals from Younes Belhanda and Souleymane Camara.
The winning margin would have been more emphatic but for a string of fine saves by Sochaux goalkeeper Pierrick Cros.
Belhanda opened the scoring after four minutes only for Modibo Maiga to level for the visitors just before the half hour with a spectacular overhead kick.
But Camara settled it 10 minutes into the second half as Montpellier remained on course to beat Paris St Germain to the title.
Belhanda netted the opener in the early stages as he finished off a fine counter-attack move.
Camara broke down the right but when his cross was missed by Olivier Giroud the ball fell to Belhanda who smashed home his eighth goal of the season.
The game was 20 minutes old when John Utaka shot over the bar from 20 yards out.
Sochaux were level when Maiga scored with an overhead kick in the area after 28 minutes.
David Sauget crossed from the left for Maiga who chested the ball down, shielding it from Mapou Yangambiwa and Vitorino Hilton before firing and overhead kick past goalkeeper Geoffrey Jourdren.
Montpellier went close to regaining the lead in first half injury time with a free-kick from Marco Estrada which was on target for the top corner until Cros kept it out at full stretch.
Cros was on hand to keep out an effort from Giroud who shot from the edge of the area early in the second half.
The Sochaux keeper again kept his side in it with a save from Estrada's long range effort before blocking a shot from Giroud who had been found in the area by Utaka.
But Montpellier were not to be denied and it was Camara who scored what proved to be the winning goal.
Belhanda passed to Utaka whose shot was saved by Cros but he could only push the ball out to Camara who scored from close range.
Cros kept out another Giroud effort after good work by Belhanda and the bar then saved Sochaux as Giroud's header came back off the goal frame following a cross by Benjamin Stambouli.
But Montpellier had already done enough to secure three points and keep their title bid well on track