Bordeaux pile pressure on as PSG enter French fray

Bordeaux closed the gap on serial champions Lyon to two points in the French league on Saturday with a 3-1 win at Le Mans while Paris Saint Germain also moved into the fray with a 2-1 success at Auxerre.

With Lyon, bidding for an eighth straight title, facing fourth-placed Marseille at the Stade Gerland on Sunday in the top match of the weekend, Bordeaux could not afford to slip up.

And after a goalless first half Fernando Cavenaghi broke the deadlock on the hour before Matthieu Chalme and Brazilian Jussie Ferreira wrapped things up after Norwegian Thorstein Helstad had first levelled from the spot.

Bordeaux coach Laurent Blanc had opined following Champions League elimination in midweek that there is a visible quality gap which has emerged between the French league and its English, Spanish and Italian counterparts – those countries largely monopolising the last 16 of that competition.

But with 32 points from 18 games the Girondins are seemingly at least headed for another shot at Europe's premier club competition next season if they maintain this domestic form, even if the likes of Roma proved too strong for them.

Lyon are the only French name which went into the hat for the Champions League knockout phase.

Paris, who spent last season dealing not with European glory but rather the potential nightmare of relegation – they ultimately just survived – meanwhile thanked two early strikes from emerging Beninois talent Stephane Sessegnon for their win at Auxerre which took them level on points with Blanc's men.

The eight-million-euro signing from Le Mans has turned in a series of fine performances at the Parc des Princes to the extent that PSG fans are hoping they have a potential new Augustin 'Jay Jay' Okocha on their hands.

Nigerian Okocha lit up the PSG side of 1998 to 2002, since when the capital club have rarely challenged for league glory.

Unfashionable Rennes were hoping to leapfrog both Bordeaux and PSG in the late game when they were hosting struggling Nantes.

Toulouse meanwhile made it into the top six following a 3-1 win over a St Etienne side which had won its past two games after seven straight losses to move out of the drop zone under new coach Alain Perrin.

But Les Verts remain in danger after this latest setback.

Elsewhere, former giants Monaco are going nowhere fast after a 3-1 loss at Valenciennes, now just two points adrift of St Etienne, while Nancy beat Grenoble in a midtable meeting and relegation-threatened Caen let slip a two-goal lead in drawing 2-2 at Sochaux after Remi Gomis had notched a brace for the visitors.