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.

a solid victory over Le Havre

In another sign of overall play improving, PSG defeated Le Havre 3-1 at cozy Stade Jules Deschaseaux. Following recent use of a 4-3-3, Paul Le Guen reverted to a more traditional set-up with Ludovic Giuly and Guillaume Hoarau paired up top and duo is definitely showing signs of greater production. PSG dictated the ebb and flow of the match and eighteen minutes after the opening whistle, Guillaume Hoarau, fresh after being ignored by Raymond Domenech, netted the first of two goals as he headed Sylvain Armand's cross to the post. The former Le Havre man had threatened twice before but after scoring he displayed a sense of class and respect for his former club that all players could take a lesson from. Sixteen minutes later Jérémy Clément dished off to Ludovic Giuly in the box, who then struck a perfect ball to the far corner to double the lead. The home side fought admirably, testing Mickaël Landreau's considerable talents and were unable to break through till three minutes after the break when Amadou Alassane exposed PSG's weakness to the set piece by heading-in Jean-Michel Lesage's corner to bring the match to a snug 2-1 margin. However the Parisians were able to hold Le Havre at bay and as the match was winding down Péguy Luyindula was brought down in the area and the spot the pointed to. With a climatic ending, the man-of-the-match Guillaume Hoarau completed his evening home, striking his second goal to the back of the net and giving PSG the 3-1 triumph.

PSG welcomes perennial champions Olympique Lyonnais to Parc des Princes in match of epic importance.

Of course Raymond choose him, he's a Pisces!

The mad-cap manager of Les Bleus, Raymond Domenech, in releasing his club list for upcoming friendly against Uruguay decided against calling up PSG's brilliant striker Guillaume Hoarau. Since coming over from Le Havre the twenty-four year-old striker as solidified his role with the club and emerged as their top scorer. The wacky fifty-six year-old manager is known for amongst blurting out marriage proposals in press conferences after losing but using astrological sources in deciding his lineup.

a key match against Lille

Under the leadership of Rudi Garcia, Lille have enjoyed a superb start to the Ligue 1 campaign and proving that they are very capable of a run at the European spot. They have shown to be have an efficient attacking force while able to limit scoring opportunities. However on the road, they have had problems garnering a victory although their consistent play has them unbeaten in nine matches. As they travel to Parc des Princes they will be looking to prey upon PSG's inconsistent play. While Lille has not been able to win at Parc des Princes in over ten matches, that will provide little solace to PSG. dropped successive 1 - nil matches to Nice and Toulouse after their triumphant victory over Olympique Marseille. The only absentee for the match is Tulio De Melo of Lille and they will likely employ Nicolas Fauvergue as a lone striker in a 4-5-1. PSG has given little indication of their attacking force however based upon last weeks match a combination of Mateja Kežman, Ludovic Giuly and Guillaume Hoarau up-front is most likely.

I will report on the match as it concludes.