Bordeaux on top, trouble flares at Grenoble, Nice

Bordeaux opened a three-point gap at the top of the French first division 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.”

Unheralded Rennes moved into third spot with 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 moved into fourth spot with 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.

Later Saturday, Marseille welcome Montpellier to the Stade Velodrome where a victory for either side will ensure a move into second spot although Lyon can reclaim the place with victory at Paris St Germain on Sunday.