Lyon salvage PSG point, hooligans taking French game ´hostage´

Lyon salvaged a point at Paris St Germain on Sunday to move two points behind defending champions Bordeaux on a weekend when violent supporters were accused of holding French soccer hostage.

Lyon were indebted to a strike six minutes from time from Bafe Gomis to grab a 1-1 draw at PSG for whom Ludovic Giuly had scored after 30 minutes.

It was the fifth goal in seven shipped by the Paris side this season that had come in the last 10 minutes of a match.

Bordeaux had opened a two-point gap at the top on Saturday with a 2-0 win at promoted Boulogne-sur-Mer, giving the defending champions a fifth league victory of the season.

Yoan Gouffran opened the scoring in the 34th minute after heading in a corner from David Bellion for his fifth goal of the season before Boulogne defender Yoann Lachor headed into his own net in the 70th minute in a desperate attempt to clear a Yoann Gourcuff free-kick.

The win was Bourdeaux’s 16th in their last 17 league matches and followed a creditable 1-1 draw against Juventus in their Champions League opener in midweek.

“It’s not always easy to return to the championship after putting in such a good performance in Europe,” said Bordeaux coach Laurent Blanc, who started the game with Gourcuff and star striker Maroune Chamakh on the bench.

“I’m very, very pleased with the match, the behaviour of the guys who played, of those who didn’t and those who came on during the evening. We’ll need them all in the coming weeks and over the season.”

Marseille are also two points behind Bordeaux in third place after thrashing Montpellier 4-2 with their record 18-million-euro singing Lucho Gonzalez getting on the scoresheet while Souleymane Diawara, Edouard Cisse and Mamadou Niang were also on target.

Souleymane Camara and Younes Belhanda grabbed late consolations for Montpellier.

Unheralded Rennes are fourth after a 4-0 win over Grenoble who remain rooted to the foot of the table without a point having lost all six games so far.

Rennes were 3-0 ahead inside the first 20 minutes.

Asamoah Gyan opened the scoring after just 20 seconds with Sylvain Marveaux and Kader Mangane also on the scoresheet before Gyan added his second of the night from the penalty spot on the hour.

However, the match was overshadowed by trouble on the terraces with the referee twice having to halt play after missiles and smoke bombs were thrown on to the pitch – the home team’s poor form coinciding with the 15th anniversary of the creation of Grenoble’s ‘ultra’ fans.

Monaco are fifth following a 3-1 win at neighbours Nice with Nene and a brace from Alejandro Alonso securing the three points.

Just like at Grenoble, there was trouble with police breaking up a demonstration of Nice fans who had barracked club officials inside the VIP area.

The outbreaks of trouble were condemned by Frederic Thiriez, the president of the French national league.

“Our game is being taken hostage by violent groups who are our worst enemies,” he said.