PSG only two points from first

As the final moments of PSG's 2-1 victory over Auxerre wound down I couldn't help but think back to last winter where my daily blog of the Parisians urged recovery at all costs and the avoidance of relegation. While a sentiment shared by many, it appears the holidays after brought a brilliant surprise as PSG stands tied with Bordeaux only two points below Olympique Lyonnais.

In a well played match, Stéphane Sessegnon continued his brilliant run of late scoring only five minutes into the match as he poached from close-range on a Jérôme Rothen free-kick that Sylvain Armand had flicked on. However the hosts were full of fight and narrowly missing leveling the match seven minutes later but the Kevin Lejeune's effort was fruitless. However twenty one minutes in, Stéphane Sessegnon took it upon himself with a brilliant run and finish to give PSG the two goal advantage. Fortune fell PSG's way as Auxerre had a number of reasonable chances before the break to bring one back but the final touch was lacking. Daniel Niculae, formerly Rapid Bucureşti appeared to have found the mark after the break but his header clanged off the cross-bar and Mickaël Landreau breathed a sigh of relief. Auxerre poured forward looking to score and with PSG on its back heels they final broke through with Cedric Hengbart converting from the spot after Sammy Traoré was adjudged fouling Dennis Oliech in the area. With the match now 2-1, the hosts continued to prowl for the leveler but they could not find it and the match concluded with PSG capturing three valuable points.

PSG returns to action next Thursday against Twente in the UEFA Cup.

PSG jumps to fourth with win over Le Mans

PSG jumped to fourth in the Ligue 1 table with a 3-1 victory over Le Mans at Parc des Princes. With the victory the Parisians are tied with Bordeaux, only five points behind Olympique Lyonnais.

Guillaume Hoarau gave PSG the lead twenty-two minutes into the match with Stéphane Sessegnon being the architect with a beautiful run, drawing in defenders before relaying the ball to Guillaume for a professional finish. However Grégory Cerdan quieted Parc des Princes with a perfect header of Mathieu Coutadeur's free kick to equal the match on the half hour. The young striker Guillaume Hoarau, who would be capped for Les Bleus if sanity prevailed at the FFF, gave PSG the lead six minutes before the break as Ludovic Giuly cut the ball back to him for a clinical finish. With the 2-1 lead, scoring forays were rare but with Le Mans surging forward in a attempt to level, PSG added their third and final goal of the match with three minutes remaining. Stemming again from Stéphane Sessegnon, the former Le Mans man dissected his old teammates with a perfect pass allowing Péguy Luyindula in alone to which he converted without hesitation.

PSG returns to action next Saturday against AJ Auxerre.