Nene shines as PSG check Marseille momentum

Paris Saint-Germain climbed to third in the French first division and prevented champions Marseille from going top with a 2-1 win over their arch-rivals at the Parc des Princes on Saturday.

Top scorer Nene was the inspiration for the hosts, setting up first-half goals for latterly goal-shy strikers Mevlut Erding and Guillaume Hoarau, as PSG recorded their first home league win over Marseille since November 2004.

Lucho Gonzalez replied for Didier Deschamps’s side, who never recovered from a sluggish start that was in complete contrast to the record 7-0 mauling they inflicted on MSK Zilina in the Champions League in mid-week.

PSG are now third, two points behind leaders Brest and a point shy of Rennes, with Marseille a point further back in fourth but with a game in hand.

A ban on away supporters meant the noise inside the stadium was all made in support of the home team, who began the game full of intent.

Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda was called into action within three minutes, plunging to his left to push away Ludovic Giuly’s low drive after Charles Kabore had given the ball away.

PSG’s opener arrived six minutes later, with Erding bundling in his first home league goal since the season’s opening day after Nene’s skidding shot was spilled by Mandanda.

Erding and strike partner Hoarau have struggled for goals in recent weeks, but the latter found the net in grandiose style in the 19th minute.

The tall France international laid the ball off to Nene in midfield and when the Brazilian inventively scooped a pass over the retreating Marseille defence, Hoarau burst through to volley home between Mandanda’s legs.

Marseille looked half asleep but four minutes later they sprang to life to cut the deficit in half.

Lucho released Andre-Pierre Gignac on the right and when his attempt was parried by Apoula Edel, Lucho followed in to stab the ball into an unguarded net.

Gignac and Loic Remy threatened equalisers either side of the break, with Gignac smartly denied by the onrushing Edel and Remy blasting a half-volley narrowly over the crossbar.

Paris increasingly elected to play on the counter-attack as the game progressed, and coach Antoine Kombouare introduced Mathieu Bodmer in place of Giuly to firm up the midfield, prompting a shift to a 4-3-3 formation.

Marseille looked worryingly short of ideas and their best chance of an equaliser was a deflected free-kick from Taye Taiwo that bobbled meekly into the grateful arms of Edel.

Earlier on Sunday, surprise leaders Brest conceded their first goal in nine league games as they fell to a 3-1 defeat at Lille.

Relegation-threatened Monaco and Lens both moved to within a point of safety with much-needed victories.

Second-bottom Lens won 2-0 at home to Montpellier, while South Korean international striker Park Chu-Young was on target twice as Monaco, third from bottom, won 4-0 at Nancy.

Nice defeated Toulouse 2-0, sending them up to 12th.