PSG fail to regain Ligue 1 top spot

Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday failed to regain the top spot in Ligue 1, managing only a 1-1 draw at home against mid-table Bordeaux after Montpellier leap-frogged them by beating Saint-Etienne. Carlo Ancelotti's men had to come from behind after Cheick Diabate beat the offside trap in the 77th minute, leaving the PSG defence trailing to round Salvatore Sirigu for the easiest of tap-ins. Bordeaux, though, only held their lead for four minutes, with the Paris club getting back on terms when Guillaume Hoarau spun just inside the box and shot a low left-foot drive beyond the reach of the diving Cedric Carrasso's right hand. The draw left PSG on 60 points -- the same as Montpellier -- but the southwest club have a better goal difference. Bordeaux were ninth going into the match but moved up one place at the expense of struggling Marseille. In Sunday's other match, in-form Toulouse spoiled Jean-Guy Wallemme's debut as Auxerre coach with a 1-0 home win that allowed Alain Casanova's side to reclaim fourth place from Lyon. Wallemme took over at bottom club Auxerre after Laurent Fournier was sacked last weekend and saw his new side undone by a powerful 38th-minute strike from Franck Tabanou beneath bright spring sunshine at Toulouse's Stadium Municipal. It was a fifth win in sixth league games for Toulouse, who trail third-placed Lille by three points in the contest for the third and final Champions League place. Auxerre, meanwhile, remain five points behind fourth-bottom Caen, who lost 2-0 at Dijon. Montpellier secured their position as league leaders and confirmed their title aspirations with a 1-0 home win against Saint-Etienne thanks to an 89th-minute volley from Olivier Giroud on Saturday. Having been eliminated from the French Cup by third-tier Gazelec Ajaccio in mid-week, Montpellier saw their best efforts at goal thwarted by a succession of smart saves from Saint-Etienne goalkeeper Stephane Ruffier.The visitors were reduced to 10 men when Jean-Pascal Mignot saw red for a last-man foul on Remy Cabella, however, and Giroud finally made the breakthrough at the death, lashing home a 20-yard volley for his 18th league goal this term. Defending champions Lille kept a firm grip on third place by winning 3-0 at Evian with transfer-target Eden Hazard once again proving the match-winner. He broke the deadlock with a 36th-minute penalty to claim his 13th league goal of the season and then teed up Dimitri Payet for Lille's second goal in the 55th minute. Benoit Pedretti made it 3-0 in the 67th minute with a low shot that crept over the line via the base of the left-hand post Improving Lyon extended their winning run to four matches thanks to a third-minute Dejan Lovren header and a cool, scooped finish from Bafetimbi Gomis mid-way through the second half against Sochaux at Stade Gerland. Modibo Maiga pulled one back for the visitors with 20 minutes to play after rounding Hugo Lloris. Rennes' European hopes were hit as they fell to a 1-0 loss at Valenciennes that left them seventh, while Lorient drew 1-1 at Ajaccio and Nancy further allayed their relegation fears with a 1-0 success at Brest Marseille ended a run of seven straight defeats in all competitions by drawing 1-1 at Nice, ahead of the visit of in-form Bayern Munich for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday. Their match began in calamitous fashion though, as Souleymane Diawara had to go off after only six minutes due to a knee injury and his replacement, Charles Kabore, was shown a red card before half-time for a high foul on Elliot Grandin.