Bordeaux move into second, PSG breathe sigh of relief

France star Yoann Gourcuff inspired Bordeaux to a crucial 2-1 victory over Toulouse on Saturday, while Paris Saint Germain twice came from behind to beat Lorient 3-2 in the French League.

The win means Laurent Blanc's Bordeaux move into second place, two points behind leaders Lyon who were playing Lille later Saturday.

Gourcuff, on loan from AC Milan, netted the opener against Toulouse in the 29th minute, after a low drive gave keeper Cedric Carrasso no chance.

Toulouse narrowly avoided relegation last season but have won their last four matches and have earned 17 points in total, form which sees them sit just two points behind Lyon.

But Bordeaux, unbeaten at home this season, were in no mood let Toulouse go top of the league when 10 minutes from half-time David Bellion smashed in the second from close range.

Bordeaux dominated the second period with 22-year-old Gourcuff orchestrating most of the attacking play.

The away side pulled one back in the third minute of injury time through Etienne Capoue but it was too late to prevent Bordeaux notching up their 16th win over Toulouse.

In the French capital, under-scrutiny Paris Saint Germain boss Paul Le Guen had a nervous night as his side left it late to see off visitors Lorient.

A lethargic PSG lost an early 11th-minute goal to Rafik Saifi and a second to Fabrice Abriel to trail 2-1 at half-time.

Paris welcomed back talisman Jerome Rothen for the match, and his presence sparked a second-half revival.

The home side notched up their second eqauliser four minutes into the game when the towering Guillaume Hoarau netted.

Speculation has been rife recently that Didier Deschamps is being groomed as a potential replacement for Le Guen so a win for the former Rangers boss was needed to silence his critics.

That silencer came in the dying minutes when good link-up play by Mateja Kezman allowed Rothen space on the left flank, and his deep, back-post cross was adroitly headed into the net by Loris Arnaud in the 87th minute.

“We had a little difficulty but we came back through strong will and character,” said Le Guen. “It has enabled us to go back into the first half of the table.”

“We made defensive errors that put us in difficulty. We need to protect results. We needed this victory.”

Lorient coach Christian Gourcuff – father of Yoann – was disappointed with the result.

“It was a cruel defeat … on the whole we didn't deserve to lose.”

In other matches, a 27th-minute goal from Christian Bekamenga gave Nantes the advantage over 13th-placed Saint Etienne, while Caen and Grenoble shared the points after a 2-2 draw.

FC Sochaux drew 1-1 at home to Le Havre, while goals from Habib Bamogo and Emerse Fae gave 10th-placed Nice a 2-1 away win at Monaco.