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Updated Tuesday, December 22, 2009 10:56 am TWN, AP Lille routs Le Mans 3-0 in FranceThe victory allowed Lille to leapfrog Montpellier and move into third place with 31 points, one clear of fourth-place Lyon which drew with Monaco 1-1. Meanwhile, Toulouse split the points with Auxerre in a 1-1 draw. Bordeaux routed Lorient 4-1 on Saturday to earn the unofficial title of winter champion at the season's halfway stage. Bordeaux tops the standings with 40 points from 18 matches, eight clear of second-place Marseille which has a game in hand. In Lille, Cameroon international Aurelien Chedjou headed in a free kick from Hazard to put the host team ahead in the 12th minute. Lille stretched its winning streak in the league to five games while Le Mans slipped into the relegation zone with 15 points. In Monaco, Brazilian midfielder Michel Bastos opened the scoring for Lyon midway through the first half with a 25-meter free kick that dipped into the far corner. The visitors came close to a second when Bastos hoisted the ball into the box and Cris then played Jean Makoun in but goalkeeper Stephane Ruffier saved the Cameroon midfielder's header with his right foot. Shortly thereafter, a mistake from Hugo Lloris helped Monaco equalize 10 minutes before halftime. The France goalkeeper went for a high ball but Monaco fullback Djimi Traore beat him to it with a bicycle kick. Traore's cross bounced off Lyon winger Sidney Govou's head before South Korea forward Park Chu-Young volleyed into an empty net. The result is a blow for Lyon's title hopes as it now trails Bordeaux by ten points. Monaco is in 12th place with 26. In Auxerre, Roy Contout salvaged a last-gasp draw for the home team. Auxerre slipped to seventh place with 29 points while Toulouse fell to 13th place with 25 points. Also Saturday, it was: Saint-Etienne 0, Marseille 0; Montpellier 0, Nancy 2; Valenciennes 0, Lens 0; Rennes 1, Paris Saint-Germain 0; Grenoble 1, Nice 1. Subscribe to The China Post and save 25%. Click here |
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