Toulouse win, Lille lose as swine flu strikes in France

Toulouse bounced back from Europa League disappointment to beat struggling Lens 2-0 on Sunday, while fellow European representatives Lille fell to a 3-2 defeat at in-form Auxerre.

Marseille’s hotly anticipated game at home to fierce rivals Paris Saint-Germain was postponed, however, after three players from the capital club contracted swine flu.

Defender Mamadou Sakho and midfielders Ludovic Giuly and Jeremy Clement have all been confirmed as having the H1N1 virus, with the rest of the squad and management confined to quarantine for a period of 72 hours.

It was the first time a top-flight match in France had been called off due to the virus.

“After further examining the health situation among the Paris Saint-Germain squad on Sunday morning, our committee of medical experts issued us with a recommendation to postpone the match with Marseille and to place the PSG players and staff in quarantine for the next 72 hours,” the French Professional League (LFP) said in a statement.

“We have taken this position in order to avoid any possibility of contagion, including that of the players in the opposing team. A new date for the match will be decided later.”

Around 2,000 PSG fans had already travelled south for the match, with Marseille police forced to disperse hundred of supporters from both sides after violent clashes in the city centre.

Lille had produced a superb performance to beat Italian side Genoa 3-0 in the Europa League on Thursday, but their eight-game unbeaten run in all competitions came to an end at Auxerre.

Ivorian summer signing Gervinho sweetly half-volleyed Lille into a 26th-minute lead before Polish striker Ireneusz Jelen, last season’s top scorer, equalised from close range 10 minutes later.

Pierre-Alain Frau swiftly restored the away side’s advantage but with 12 minutes remaining Jelen claimed his second, before Daniel Niculae rose to head in an 81st-minute winner that earned Jean Fernandez’s side a fourth straight league victory and lifted them up to seventh.

Toulouse, fourth in Ligue 1 last season, sank to a comprehensive 4-0 defeat at defending champions Shakhtar Donetsk in mid-week but they bounced back to win 2-0 at second-bottom Lens.

The visitors’ French internationals Moussa Sissoko and Andre-Pierre Gignac secured the points, with midfielder Sissoko tapping home in the 35th minute after Franck Tabanou’s shot had hit the crossbar and Gignac claiming a well-taken second 11 minutes into the second half.

“I wasn’t worried,” said Toulouse coach Alain Casanova after seeing his side return to winning ways following their European embarrassment.

“The Europa League is a different competition. You have to realise that we came up against a team (Shakhtar) that was just too strong. And we played a non-match ourselves. I knew the boys were going to react.”

Defending champions Bordeaux returned to the top of the table after beating Le Mans 3-0 on Saturday after previous leaders Lyon succumbed to a shock 4-1 defeat at Nice.

Monaco moved up to second after a late brace from league top scorer Nene secured a 3-1 victory at 10-man Boulogne-sur-Mer, while bottom club Grenoble sank to their 10th consecutive league defeat by losing 2-1 at home to Nancy.