Ligue 1 round-up

By Paul Higham  

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Lyon maintained their stranglehold on the French title with a 2-0 at home to Metz.

Lyon have won the French league for the last three years, and their reign could be extended further as they enjoy a six-point lead at the top of the table.

Paul Le Guen's men needed to battle hard against a stubborn Metz side, and did not find a breakthrough until the final ten minutes, when Juninho and Bryan Bergougnoux scored to give Lyon the points.

Lille remain in second place after they registered a 3-1 win at Bordeaux, thanks to goals from Mathieu Debuchy, Philippe Brunel and Johan Audel, with Marouane Chamakh hitting a late consolation for the hosts.

Third-placed Monaco enjoyed an emphatic 5- 2 victory at home to struggling Caen, with Mohammed Kallon hitting a brace to add to goals from Sisenado Maicon, Javier Saviola and Jaroslav Plasil.

Cyril Watierhad levelled the score at 1-1 before the Monaco onslaught, and Reynald Lemaiture fired a late goal for Caen, who are just a point above the drop zone.

Ajaccio came out on top in the Coriscan derby, with Mamadou Seck grabbing the all-important goal for the hosts, although both sides remain in the bottom three.

Istres stay bottom despite a 1-0 victory at Lens, with Rafik Saifi hitting the winner.

Auxerre secured a 2-0 win at home over ten-man Sochaux, for who Souleymane Diawara was handed a straight red card for a tackle from behind on Luigi Pieroni.

Kange Akale and Pieroni hit the goals for Guy Roux's side, who remain in fourth.

Nantes enjoyed a valuable 2-0 win at home to Rennes, with Claudio Keseru and a Nicolas Savinaud penalty earning the three points to help their fight against relegation.

Toulouse lost ground on the top four, who all won, after they were held to a goalless draw in the capital against Paris Saint Germain.

Mamadou Niang scored after just eight minutes to give Strasbourg the lead at home to St Etienne, but the visitors earned a 1-1 draw courtesy of Vincent Hognon's strike.

Match Summaries:
Ajaccio v Bastia
Auxerre v Sochaux
Bordeaux v Lille
Lens v Istres
Lyon v Metz
Monaco v Caen
Nantes v Rennes
PSG v Toulouse
Strasbourg v St Etienne