Matsui double inspires Grenoble to rare victory

A double by Japanese striker Daisuke Matsui saw bottom side Grenoble record only their second victory in 22 league matches this season as they strolled to an astonishing 5-0 victory over highflying Auxerre on Saturday.

Victory for Grenoble while welcome is unlikely to prevent them from being relegated as they have just 10 points and are 10 points adrift of safety.

Defeat for sixth-placed Auxerre was even more of a surprise as they were unbeaten in their previous five matches.

Grenoble had scored just 12 goals in the league this campaign but suddenly found goalscoring easy as they had Auxerre reeling with four first-half goals, one from Matsui, a brace by Nassim Akrour adding to a seventh-minute opener by Serbian international striker Danijel Ljuboja.

Matsui added his second eight minutes into the second-half.

Elsewhere, the now traditional crisis at ailing giants Paris Saint Germain continued apace as they went down limply to a 3-0 defeat at home to League Cup semi-finalists Lorient for their fourth successive defeat – their worst sequence of results since March 2007.

All Lorient’s goals came in the first-half, a penalty through Marama Vahirua, and the others from Kevin Gameiro and Morgan Amalfitano which led to calls for the first time this season from the notoriously emotional PSG fans to chant for coach Antoine Kombouare to be dismissed.

PSG slipped to 15th in the table 10 points off a place in Europe next season.

Thankfully for them their inexorable slide down the table does not look as if it will end in relegation as third from bottom Le Mans were unable to make any inroads as they lost 2-1 away at Lens and are four points off fourth from bottom St Etienne, who host in-form Monaco on Sunday.

There were no problems for Montpellier as the surprise packages of the title race this season came away with a 2-0 win at second from bottom Boulogne-sur-mer thanks to a first-half effort by Souleymane Camara and then one in time added on at the end of the match by Victor Hugo Montano.

Victory saw Montpellier move to within three points of champions and leaders Bordeaux – who were held 0-0 last week by Boulogne – though they can restore their six point advantage later away at Rennes.

Third-placed Lille failed to also keep the pressure on Bordeaux as they were held 1-1 away at Nice and required a goal 15 minutes from time by substitute Tulio De Melo to even garner them a point.

They can be overhauled in the table by both Lyon and Monaco should both win on Sunday.