Association de la Jeunesse Auxerroise is a club known for the feat of never having been relegated from Ligue 1, as well as producing some world class players in recent years, such as Eric Cantona, Phillipe Mexes, and Djibril Cisse. They have a Ligue 1 topping 17 full international players in their first team, and although this statistic speaks of greatness, Auxerre have been mediocre at best over the past few seasons under the leadership of much traveled manager Jean Fernandez. This season things have been different, and I’ll begin by analyzing their first team.

In terms of goalkeepers they are pretty much set. Olivier Sorin is a solid Ligue 1 keeper in the prime of his career, while Remi Riou is one of the best up and coming keepers in France. They have shared the minutes pretty evenly over the past few seasons, and this provides healthy competition, inspiring to work hard for their places.

On defense they are solid as well. Cedric Hengbart contributes significantly to the attack from the right wing and is a seasoned veteran. In the center Swiss International Stephane Gritching partners Malian International Adama Coulibaly, making a tandem with bucket loads of Ligue 1 experience. On the left we have Jean-Pascal Mignot, who has spent his entire career to date with les Auxerrois, making 137 league appearances. They work excellently as a unit and have played a full two seasons together.

The definite star of the Auxerre midfield is Benoit Pedretti. The dead ball specialist is a multi-faceted central midfielder who has played for some of the best clubs in France and has collected 22 caps for the French National Team in his career. He is also the captain and has been at Auxerre for the past 4 seasons. The other normal starters are Kamel Chafni and youngster Delvin N’Dinga. Dariusz Dudka, Aurelien Capoue (on loan from Nantes), and Roy Contout also feature, but there is little depth beyond that.

Up front Auxerre are blessed multitude of options. Ireneusz Jelen is an excellent goalscorer (33 league goals for the club in total), but the Polish international has had injuries galore since his arrival in France from Warsaw. Daniel Niculae is also a good striker, but his goal scoring is extremely inconsistent. In 07/08 he scored 11 in the Ligue, while last year he managed a total of zero. Speed demons Valter Birsa and Dennis Oliech also compliment the offense, but have had difficulties finding the net at a club level this season. Alexandre Licata and Julien Quercia, both considered to be solid Ligue 1 forwards, have seen zero minutes so far this season due to the amount of competition for a place in the starting 11.

It seems to me that the keys to this Auxerre side are the level of competition maintained throughout and the goalscoring and play making abilities of Ireneusz Jelen and Benoit Pedretti. So, why are they on top? Their summer signings were well thought out and smart, they have been consistent since that poor start to the season, and rest of the league simply hasn’t.

European matchweek is already here again!  Matchday 4 was an amazing success for each of the Champion’s Leagues teams.  Here’s to a repeat of those successes, the solidification of both Lyon and Bordeaux as number 1 in their group and a step closer to OM qualifying for the knock-out stages! 

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Fiorentina vs. Lyon

Lyon travel to Italy with the security of knowing they are already qualified.  Should Lyon lose this game, Fiorentina will qualify for the knock-out stages.  If Lyon win this game, it keeps Liverpool’s hope of reaching the knock-out stages alive.  Benetiz has used the recent French football scandals (accusations of cheating aimed at both David Ngog and Henry) to challenge Lyon to “restore pride in French football.”  Wow– talk abut desperate psychological games- but I would expect nothing less from the Spaniard.

I don’t think that Liverpool needed to lay the guilt trip on so thick– Lyon have enough reasons to want to win this game.  Beating Fiorentina tomorrow puts them one step closer to a first place finish in the group, preventing them from repeating the same disaster that happened last year.  If you remember, last year Lyon’s second place finish behind Bayern set them up to play Barcelona in the first knock-out round.  Lyon will also want a win tomorrow to get their domestic performance back on track.  They only managed a draw this weekend against Grenoble– a team that had previously only won a single point the whole season.  The draw places them in third place domestically, level on points with Bordeaux and 1 point behind leaders Auxerre.   Puel will have to contend with some injury problems when making his selection as Anderson (knee, calf, shoulder), Mathieu Bodmer (groin), Anthony Réveillère (calf), Maxime Gonalons (groin), Jérémy Toulalan (groin) and François Clerc (knee) have all been ruled out.

Fiorentina are also struggling domesticaly, currently sitting in 6th place and losing 3 of their last 5 Serie A matches.  To qualify at the expense of Liverpool, they will have to beat Lyon.  If they do win, it will only be their second win ever at home against a French side (out of 6 games).  Luckily, the Italian team only has a few injuries to worry about.  Alessandro Gamberini (thigh) an Adrian Mutu (knee) are definitely out and Stevan Jovetić (toe) is doubtful.  Jovetic is unlikely to be used since he hasn’t played in almost a month.

Also, check out Offside-Lyon’s more extensive preview here.

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Milan vs. Marseille

Even though Group C has two European powerhouses- Real and Milan- no one has qualified for the knock-out stages.  And despite a rough start in their European campaign, Marseille have managed to get themselves back in contention.  They currently sit in third place (but only a point behind Real and Milan).  OM’s midfielder Abriel was both realistic and optimistic in his press conference this week,noting that qualification was “not impossible.”  To make this possible, Marseille will have do something in Milan that they weren’t able to do at home (they lost 2-1).  Winning in the San Siro though will require a huge performance from Marseille– they will have to be tough and disciplined enough defensively to close down Ronaldhino, Pato and Seedorf and agressive and accurate offensively.

OM are coming into this game in good form.  They just beat their Parisian rivals in the Classico on Friday, scored 5 against Lyon and beat Zurich 6-1.  In the domestic league, Marseille have been stronger away than at home; however, the same could not be said for the Europe performance.  Their win at Zurich was their first European away win in 7 games.  Deschamps will have close to a full squad to choose from.  Lucho made his return at the weekend with a substitute appearance against PSG.  The only players that look to be out are M’bia (ankle) and Rodriguez (ankle).

Milan are also coming into this game in strong domestic form, but haven’t been abel to win at home in Europe this season.  Their shock loss to Zurich is game 2 and controversial draw against Madrid (was that really a penalty?) should definitely give hope to Marseille supporters.  The Rossoneri will be without Marco Borriello (knee), Mathieu Flamini (ankle), Gennaro Gattuso (thigh) and Jankulovski (ankle).

Also, check out Offside-Marseille for Rich’s preview there as well.

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Bordeaux vs. Juventus

Like Lyon, Bordeaux will go into this game with some security knowing they have already qualified for the knock-out stage.  Despite this comfort, they should still be motivated to win on Wednesday in order to secure a first place finish.  At the last fixture between these two, Juventus managed to stem Bordeaux’s attempts and come out with a draw (that game is the only game Bordeaux haven’t won in Europe this season).  If Juventus can win, or at least match Bayern’s result against Macabi Haifa, they will book their place to the knock-out stages.

Until their loss to Valencienne this weekend, Bordeaux appeared to be indestructible at home, not having lost at home in two years.  Domestically, Bordeaux are doing well despite the loss this weekend.  They currently sit in second place, level with Lyon on points and just a point behind Auxerre.  Their strength this season has been their tight defense, which has only allowed in 2 goals in the group stage.  To win, Blanc will have to contend with a number of injuries among his key players.  Gourcuff (groin) and Henrique (knee) are definitely out and Chamakh (abdomen), Jussie (hip) and Jurietti (gastroenteritis) are also uncertain.

Unlike Bordeaux, Juventus’s campaign has been slow to start this season, drawing with both Bordeaux and Bayern.  Their strength has also been their defense (they have the best defensive record in Europe thus far), and both of their wins have only been 1-0 (both against Maccabi Haifa).  The team will welcome back Del Piero, Sissoko and Marchisio, but Salihamidzic, Zebina, Trezeguet and Iaquinta are all out.

Also, check out Offside-Bordeaux for a possible preview there as well.

ANY PREDICTIONS?

]]> http://france.theoffside.com/french-football/ligue-1-in-europe-matchday-5-champions-league-only.html/feed 5 http://france.theoffside.com/french-football/ballon-de-plomb-2009.html http://france.theoffside.com/french-football/ballon-de-plomb-2009.html#comments Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:58:15 +0000 Thomas http://france.theoffside.com/french-football/ballon-de-plomb-2009.html

The Ballon de Plomb (the lead ball in English) is the Ligue 1 version of the Bidone d’Or. Since 2003 it has been awarded to the Ligue 1 player with the most negative name recognition by the website Cahiers du Football.  Some of the characteristics required are some negative intrinsic footballing “qualities”, strange career choices, and eccentric personalities. Past winners include Fabrice Fiorèse (2004), Benoît Pedretti (2005), and Frederic Piqiuonne (2008). Get the full scoop in the wikipedia entry (in french). So, on to this year’s nominees.

For the year 2009, the players selected for the shortlist were…

Stefan Babovic (Nantes)
Mustapha Bayal (Saint-Etienne)
Stephane Dalmat (Sochaux)
Nicolas Dieuze (Grenoble)
Fred (Fluminese)
Kader Keita (Galatasaray)
Mateja Kezman (Zenit)
Ivan Klasnic (Bolton)
Luigi Pieroni (Valenciennes)
Diego Placente (Bordeaux)
Elliot Grandin (-)

Check out the justifications for the choices here and here. Notice that most of the players were so terrible in some way that they were loaned, transferred, relegated, or simply released. This is tough, but I think it has to go to Fred for all his antics early in the year with Lyon. What are your thoughts? Who wins the prestigious ball of lead this time around? The results will be announced December 6th.  Await them eagerly.

Check out Benj’s post at the ASSE Offside talking specifically about Mustapha Bayal, to which I give credit for the tip off.

It is hard to believe that the qualifications are complete for the World Cup and African Cup of Nations already this year.  It really just seems like everyone was in  Ghana– and now we are already heading to Angola.  So now that qualification is over and the group stage for the tournament is set– who will your favorite African team be facing this January, and what does this mean for Ligue 1?

Qualification

The qualification for this tournament was held consecutively with the World Cup qualification– meaning both Angola and South Africa had to participate despite being automatically qualified for the respective tournaments they are hosting.  The top winner of the group qualified for both the World Cup and the ACN and the second and third place teams in the group qualified for the ACN.

The ACN is always a little controversial because of its timing , right smack dab in the middle of the European club season.  FIFA President, Sepp Blatter, has asked the ACN to move the tournament to the summer months to minnimize this disruption (and to make the tournament consistent with other international tournaments) as well as move the tournament to “odd years” in order to avoid a conflict with the World Cup by 2016.  However, the ACN has stood firm thus far, maintaining that the tournament will not move since the summer months are not the best months to play football in most of Africa (I think particular West Africa due to June-July being their wet season).  To be honest, this drama really wasn’t shocking to me– club teams were angry about losing their players, FIFA was attempting to control every facet of the game and Africa was again being asked to fall in line with European demands, blah blah.  However, former African Player of the Year and former ACN winner Pele has now reinvigorated this debate by questioning the timing of the tournament.  But for now, the ACN will continue to occur during the winter on the same years as the Euro and the World Cup tournament.

The Tournament Group Stage

So, this January a lot of the league’s favorite players will be leaving to represent their country in Angola, each hoping to bring the trophy home.

*Top two teams from the group are eligible to move on to the knock-out stages (Quarterfinals)

Group A – The Easy Group

Angola: Angola’s role as host automatically qualified them for the tournament, and as a top 4 seed.  Their last appearance was in 2008, where they made it to the quarterfinals, so this will be their second consecutive qualification out of four total appearances.  In this group, with the home crowd behind them, it should be fairly easy for Angola to make it past the group stage.

Possible Ligue 1 Players Called Up:  None that I know….

Mali: Mali’s third place finish in group D behind Benin and Ghana wasn’t a huge clue that this team might make it out of the group stage, but being drawn into this soft group has just dramatically increased those odds.

Possible Ligue 1 Players Called Up:  Coulibaly (Auxerre), Soumare (Boulogne), Diakite (Nice), Sow (Lens), Traore (Nancy), Bagayoko (Nice), Sidibe (Auxerre), Traore (PSG), Traore (Monaco), Yatabare (Caen), Traore (Bordeaux), Traore(Nice), Diabate (Nancy), Samassa (Valenciennes), Diarra (Lorient)

**Editor’s Note:  Traore must be the “Smith” of Mali!

Malawi: Malawi was able to qualify for the ACN behind the Ivory Coast and Burkina Faso, barely edging out Guinea.  This will be the country’s only second appearance in the competition– the last one being in 1984.  Even in a soft group, it will be hard, if not impossible, for this team to get out of the group stage.

Possible Ligue 1 Players Called Up:  None that I know of…

Algeria: Algeria qualified as group C winners, over Egypt (in an extremely controversial, violent play-off series that just keeps getting more and more disgusting).  They playoff game determined the winner of the group and who qualified for the World Cup, but Algeria has been qualified for the ACN since September.  Algeria have made 13 total appearances in the competition, including winning the tournament in 1990.  But, this will be their first appearance since 2004.

Possible Ligue 1 Players Called Up:  Mansouri (Lorient)

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Group B – The “Official” Group of Death

Cote d’Ivoire: The Ivory Coast qualified as Group E winners, ahead of Burkina Faso and Malawi, in September.  Despite making 17 appearances in the competition, they have only managed to win the trophy once– in 1992.

Possible Ligue 1 Players Called Up:  Gervinho (Lille), Gosso (Monaco), Fae (Nice), Soro (Lorient), Doumbia (Lorient), Coulibaly (Nice), Dindane (loaned to Portsmouth from Lens), Traore (Sochaux) and Bakari Kone (OM)

Burkina Faso: As runners up in their qualification group, Burkina Faso already lose twice to the Ivory Coast (3-2 at home, 5-0 away).  Given that they will have to get past the Ivory Coast again– as well as the always strong Ghana and Togo– qualification doesn’t look too likely.  This will be Burkina Faso’s 7th appearance in the competition, but they have been absent from the tournament since 2004.  Their best showing was a 4th place finish in 1998.

Possible Ligue 1 Players Called Up:  Traore (Auxerre), Bamogo (Nice) and Kabore (OM)

Ghana: Ghana qualified as Group D winners, ahead of second place Benin and third place Mali, in June.  They have made 16 appearances in the tournament, including winning the trophy four times.  However, they haven’t managed to win the trophy since 1982.

Possible Ligue 1 Players Called Up:  Quartey (Nice), Ayew (on load to Arles-Avignon from OM) and Gyan (Rennes)

Togo: Togo shocked everyone in qualification– and not in a good way.  People assumed they were World Cup bound– until they started playing.  They ended up  settling into 3rd place in their qualification group after Morocco completely bombed in their group.  This will be their 7th appearance in the competition– but they’ve never managed to get past the group stage.  Despite how they got to the tournament and their historical inadequacies, any team with Adebayor always has the chance to snatch a victory– but in a group with both the Ivory Coast and Nigeria, that is always going to be hard!

Possible Ligue 1 Players Called Up:  Romao (Grenoble), Gakpe (Monaco) and Ayite (Nancy)

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Group C – The Predictable Group

Egypt: Egypt qualified for the tournament as reigning holders from their 2008 win, but participated in the group stage as part of the World Cup qualification.  In the group, they are the runners-up in group C, losing to Algeria in away twice (in Algeria and then Sudan).  The battles were tough– but I would expect nothing less from these two nations who have a history of bad blood (both on and off the field).  Though they won’t be heading to the World Cup, they can comfort themselves by knowing they are the most successful team in the history of the ACN tournament, having made 21 total appearances, 14 consecutive appearances and having won the tournament 6 times.

Possible Ligue 1 Players Called Up:  None that I know of…

Nigeria: Nigeria managed to win the top spot ahead of Tunisia, Mozambique and Kenya.  They have made 15 appearances in the competition (this will be their 6th consecutive), but they have only won the tournament twice (1980 and 1994).  So, while expectations are normally high for the Nigerians, they rarely are able to meet them.

Possible Ligue 1 Players Called Up:  Echiejile (Rennes) and Taiwo (OM)

Mozambique: The third place finish in group B marked a return to the spotlight for Mozambique, who have only been in the competition three times before.  In each of their appearances (1986, 1996 and 1998), they have never made it past the first round.  It is hard to believe that they will break that trend in this group.

Possible Ligue 1 Players Called Up:  None that I know of…

Benin: As group D runner’s up, Benin was able to place ahead of Mali but was unable to get past Ghana in the qualification stage.  This will be their third qualification ever for the tournament as well as their third consecutive qualification.  But despite their consistent ability to qualify for the past few tournaments, they haven’t been able to push past the group stage of the tournament.

Possible Ligue 1 Players Called Up:  Sessegnon (PSG) and Pote (Nice)

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Group D – The “Unofficial” Group of Death

Cameroon: Cameroon qualified as Group A winners over Gabon and Togo.  Having won the tournament 4 times (including a back-to-back championship in 2000 and 2002), Cameroon are always favorites.  They’ve made 15 total appearances, with this being their 8th consecutive showing.

Possible Ligue 1 Players Called Up:  Jean Makoun (Lyon), Mbia (OM), Nkoulou (Monaco) and Alo’o Efoulou (Nancy)

Gabon: Group A runners-up, Gabon, are hardly known as an African powerhouse.  They’ve only qualified for the tournament three times before, and have watch from home since 2000.  Their best finish to date is a quarterfinal appearance in 1996.  Despite this, they have had a fantastic qualification run that almost led them to the World Cup.  At home, they managed to beat Cameroon (2-0), Morocco (3-1) and Togo (3-0).

Possible Ligue 1 Players Called Up:  Mouloungui (Le Mans) and Ovono (Le Mans)

Zambia: Zambia qualified for the ACN in third place of Group C, behind Algeria and Egypt.  They’ve qualified for the tournament 13 times previously and were runners up in 1974 and 1994 (a historic finish after the tragic Gabon Air Disaster).  It will be a tough group for them to qualify out of– but not impossible.

Possible Ligue 1 Players Called Up:  None that I know of…

Tunisia: Tunisia qualified as the runners up in Group B, just behind Nigeria and ahead of Mozambique, in September.  This will be their 13th appearance in the tournament and their 9th consecutive appearance in the competition.  But despite this legacy, they have only managed to win the tournament once in all those appearances– in 2004.  Despite qualifying for the ACN, Tunisia’s coach was fired after their unsuccessful World Cup qualification campaign so they will be led by  Faouzi Benzarti, the coach of the “Tunisian hopes” (read:  youth team) at the ACN.  This decision has been popularly received in Tunisia– as he was the favorite for the original job position.

Possible Ligue 1 Players Called Up:  Ben Khalfallah (Valenciennes), Jemaa (Lens), Kasraoui (Lens), Mikari (Sochaux), Saihi (Montpellier), Ben Saada (Nice)

ANY EARLY PREDICTIONS ON A WINNER?

Best Quotes/Reactions to the Draw

Egypt continues to demonstrate their tact and respect for their fellow Africans.
Hazem Al-Hawari, Egyptian FA
“I can say it’s an easy group. I think we will reach the knockout stage along with Nigeria. Of course Egypt are better than Benin and Mozambique while Nigeria are not at their best, but they are likely to accompany us to the next round.”

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Tunisian Optimism.
Ahmed Aloulou, Tunisia Football Federation
“None of the groups are easy but Tunisia are a big football nation in Africa. Having been eliminated from the World Cup, we are hoping for a better Africa Nations Cup.”

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Take Note Egypt– Ghana is demonstrating real tact.
Kwasi Nyantakyi, Ghana FA President
“There is no better description of this group. Ivory Coast and Ghana are two of the best teams in Africa. The group is interesting because Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso and Togo are all our neighbours. Togo has Adebayor, one of the best players in the world, and Burkina Faso’s Moumouni Dagano is the top scorer of the World Cup qualifying campaign.”

And more respect…
Milovan Rajevac, Ghana coach
“Every group is a tough one. There are no easy groups for this competition. Every side that tried to qualify has quality and can cause an upset. It’s too easy to start talking now. On paper, Ivory Coast are the favourites from our group and they indeed have a strong team. But there won’t be any easy match at the Nations Cup.”

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]]> http://france.theoffside.com/french-football/ligue-1-internationals-african-cup-of-nations-and-world-cup-update.html/feed 2 http://france.theoffside.com/french-football/french-football-dose-111509.html http://france.theoffside.com/french-football/french-football-dose-111509.html#comments Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:37:42 +0000 Thomas http://france.theoffside.com/french-football/french-football-dose-111509.html
Hoda Lattaf puts Montpellier past Bayern in the Women’s Champions League round of 16…

1) A Day in the Life of Raymond Domenech (Dirty Tackle)

2) How much does Domenech really hurt France? A Mathematical Take. (Everything French Soccer)

3) Bakari Kone and Wanda Sykes. Notice a resemblance? (OM Offside)

4) Robert Pires says lots of nasty things about Raymond Domenech. (Goal)

5) Lass claims that Ireland players talk to the media to much.  (Yahoo)

6) Interview: Asamoah Gyan (”Rennes-aissance” has got to be the worst pun I’ve ever heard). (Ligue 1)

7) If you’re interested in PSG and/or Football Manager, this is the place for you. (PSG FM Offside)

A bit of a Domenech-tastic week, no?

Also, don’t forget to vote between the ASSE and Lyon jerseys, as the poll closes this week, as well as give your opinion on the biggest club in Ligue 1.

This weekend brings us a a mix of World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations Qualifiers, World Cup Playoffs and friendlies.  Ligue 1 was represented across the globe– some in key matches that determine if their country to will be going to South Africa and/or Angola next year, others in less important (but, at times, still exciting) friendlies.

As always, I may miss some players and games– please feel free to include additional information in the comments section– it is rather difficult (and time consuming) to create a completely exhaustive list so for this post to be really good, I will need the help of you!

I usually start with Europe…but there has been so much hype on those play-off matches already so let’s mix things up…

AFRICA WORLD CUP AND CAN QUALIFIERS

Morocco vs. Cameroon

Morocco continues its terrible form by losing 2-0 at home to Cameroon.  With this win, Cameroon was able to qualify for the World Cup, in spite of their dismal start.  This WC will be their 6th straight appearance for the country in the competition finals– which is a record for an African team.  The two goal scorers were Real Mallorca’s Pierre Webo (’17) and Inter’s Samuel Eto‘o (’52).  The papers are focusing on Eto’s goals, which was his ninth goal in 11 starts in the 2010 qualifiers, but I want to focus on the fantastic assist Jean Makoun (Lyon) made to create the goal!  Cameroon’s recent winning form was a result of the work of former Ligue 1 coach and Frenchman Paul Le Guen (formerly managed Rennes, Lyon and PSG).  Congrats to the other Ligue 1 players– Mbia (OM), Nkoulou (Monaco) and Alo’o Efoulou (Nancy).

Morocco’s squad was certainly weakened by the loss of Chamakh (Bordeaux, suspension) as well as several other players who were forced to pull out of the squad through injury.  Unfortunately, Ligue 1’s reprensentatives– Hermach (Lens), Chretien (Nancy) and Hadji (Nancy) were not able to pull off an upset.  Morocco sit in last place with only 3 points in 6 games– and won’t be in South Africa or Angola next year!

Togo vs. Gabon

Togo secured its’ place in the 2010 Africa Cup of Nations tournaments with its 1-0 win over Cameroon (a game where Adebayor promised to double his teammates winning bonus if they won).  Though they are not able to qualify for South Africa, their third place finish will allow them to compete in Angola in January.  Despite already qualifying they were able to grind out a 1-0 win over Gabon.  Congratulations to Romao (Grenoble), Gakpe (Monaco) and Ayite (Nancy) on the win– South Africa won’t be same without Togo, but hopefully they will get to shine in Angola!

Gabon, who finished second in the group despite the loss, have also qualified for the African Cup– meaning Nice and Le Mans will lose the services of Mouloungui and Ovono next year!

Kenya vs. Nigeria

Nigeria managed to come from behind and win 3-2 thanks to two Obamefi Martin (Wolfsburg) strikes. Martin was helped by Ligue 1’s Echiejile (Rennes) who was given a starting 11 spot.  OM’s Taiwo was called into the squad but never made it off the bench.  This win allowed Nigeria to leapfrog Tunisia, win the group and qualify for South Africa (for the 4th straight tournament).

Mozambique vs. Tunisia

Tunisia lost their two point lead in the group and failed to qualify for the 2010 World Cup by losing 1-0 to Mozambique.  While this is a huge disappointment for Ligue 1’s Carthage Eagles Ben Khalfallah (Valenciennes), Jemaa (Lens), Kasraoui (Lens), Mikari (Sochaux), Saihi (Montpellier), Ben Saada (Nice), but their second place finish automatically qualifies them for the Africa Cup of Nations.  Hopefully they will be able to avenge themselves for this loss by beating Mozambique (who qualified as third in the group) in the African Cup in January.

Egypt vs. Algeria

The anticipation and drama before this match was high.  First, Algeria’s bus was attacked when they arrived in Cairo earlier this week by young rioters, causing three Alergian players to sustain facial cuts.  Egypt’s FA is making the conspiracy theory defense, claiming that the attack was staged by the Algerians to undermine them on the international stage.

Before the game, Algeria was in first place  with a three point cushion between them and Egypt.  To keep their World Cup qualification hopes alive, Egypt needed to beat Algeria by two goals– which they did!  With the win, Egypt managed to force a play-off game, which will be played in neutral Sudan.  Hopefully, Lorient’s  Mansouri will keep his place in the starting 11 for the final qualification game and help Algeria qualify for the World Cup.

Sudan vs. Benin

Benin sealed their second place group position by beating the Group D whipping boys, Sudan (who only managed to win 1 point in qualification) 2-1.  There isn’t much information on the match, but Benin’s squad typically contains both Sessegnon (PSG) and Pote (Nice) from Ligue 1.  Any additional details would be greatly appreciated!

Burkina Faso vs Malawi

Both Burkina Faso and Malawi came into this game knowing that there was no way they could qualify for the World Cup, but only Burkina Faso was certain to qualify for the African Cup.  Unfortunately, Malawi wasn’t able to channel this extra motivation into a win, losing 1-0.  They no doubt felt secure that Guinea wouldn’t be able to beat Group E top dog, the Ivory Coast.  This means that Ligue 1 will lose Burkina Faso’s Traore (Auxerre), Bamogo (Nice) and Kabore (OM) in January.

Ivory Coast vs. Guinea

The Ivory Coast managed to beat Guinea, who had the chance to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations if they had won this game, without Drogba (Chelsea).  This isn’t surprising considering their strong showing in qualification– they remain undefeated in their World Cup qualification group, winning four of their last five games including a 5-0 smashing of the group’s second place Burkina Faso in September.  Despite not having Drogba, the Ivory Coast squad was in good hands with Ligue 1’s Gervinho (Lille) and Gosso (Monaco) taking the field in the starting 11 to help secure the 3-0 win over Guinea.  Unfortunately, recent call-ups Fae (Nice), Soro (Lorient), Doumbia (Lorient), Coulibaly (Nice), Dindane (loaned to Portsmouth from Lens), Traore (Sochaux) and Bakari Kone (OM) weren’t able to make the squad through injury, suspension or just poor performance.

UEFA WORLD CUP PLAY-OFFS

While most of Africa battled out the final spots for the World Cup and the African Cup, most of the world was fixated on the first leg of the UEFA World Cup qualifying games that were played this weekend.  Ligue 1 was represented in three of the four matches, but results were mixed…

Ireland vs. France

The build-up for this match included Domenech calling Ireland the “England B” squad, Domenech getting booed in front of his players at the Tennis Masters Tournament in Paris, Irish player Dunne claiming that Domenech’s coaching is an advantage for them, Sarkozy getting facebook and Irish claims to teach the French respect.

Despite all these obstacles– and the rain– France managed to win 1-0 in Ireland thanks to a 72′ deflected goal from Anelka (Chelsea). Ligue 1 was well represented in the starting 11– with Lloris (Lyon), Gourcuff, Alou Diarra and Gignac (Toulouse) making the cut.  Mandanda (OM), Sissoko (Toulouse), Govou (Lyon) had to be satisfied with the bench, while Toulalan’s (Lyon) forced him to sit of this game.

Despite winning, the drama continues as Domenech threatens to leave the post-match press conference after being asked about having a fight with Henry over Viera’s abscence from the squad this morning.

Portugal vs. Bosnia-Herzegovina

Portugal managed to capitalize on a fleeting moment of weakness in a game where Bosnia displayed an amazing sense of discipline.  The goal, which was assisted by Nani and scored by Bruno Alves, allows Portugal to go into the second match with a slight advantage.  The bigger threat to Bosnia’s qualification campaign is the loss of three key players (Montpellier’s Spahic, Rahimic and Muratovic) who received bookings which will keep them out of the second leg.  But, Bosnia’s loss is Ligue 1’s gain as this might allow Lyon’s Pjanic a place in the starting 11.  In the first leg, he started out on the bench but made a substitution appearance in the 87th minute for Muratovic.

Russia vs. Slovenia

Auxerre’s Valtar Birsa was unable to help his team secure a victory in their 2-1 loss to Russia; however, they manage to secure a crucial away goal (though only after Birsa was substituted out of the match).  A 1-0 win at home will see Slovenia qualify for South Africa on away goals this week!

INTERNATIONAL FRIENDLIES

Spain vs. Argentina

Given  his dismal OM performance, it really isn’t shocking that Heinze failed to help his team keep out two Xabi Alonso goals in Argentina’s 2-1 defeat.

Slovakia vs. US

Bocanegra (Rennes) couldn’t help the US beat Slovakia in this friendly which was determined by a penalty.  It will be a tough loss for US to swallow considering they outshot the Slovakians 8-5 and had four more corners.

Interesting Fact:  Apparently, both teams started sons of their coaches.

AS Saint-Etienne: Sainte have a very strong argument, having won the Ligue 1 title more than any other club, 10 times in total. There was also a period in which they were one of the biggest clubs in Europe, although they have no continental trophies to their name.

Olympique de Marseille: OM are another of the major candidates, having won the title eight times, over a longer period, and since consistency is arguably an important factor in club status, this provides a bonus for OM. They are also one of the richest clubs in France, and have had considerable success in European competition, winning the inaugural Champions League.

Olympique Lyonnais: They are the richest club in France and by far the most successful over the last decade, winning seven titles from 2002-2008. The international stars they have attracted along with their greater foreign recognition make them another prime candidate.

FC Nantes: Although currently languishing in Ligue 2, Nantes have also won the title eight times, most recently in 2001. Another club with a strong history in France, though they have had limited success in Europe.

AS Monaco: Although not technically in France, AS Monaco is a key element of French football. They have won the title 7 times in their 85 year history, and participated in the Champions League final in 2004. They also host a world-beating array of former players.

Stade de Reims: Quickly after of the conception of the league, Reims became the dominant force. They won six titles from 1949-62, and achieved strong positions in the European Champions Clubs Cup. However, since then the club has fallen in status, and currently resides in the Championnat National, the third division.

FC Girondins de Bordeaux: The defending champions have a fairly strong history, but their main claim to the throne would be their current form. First place in Ligue 1 and top of their difficult Champions League group.

AJ Auxerre: They’ve never been relegated from Ligue 1. If that’s your criteria, than AJA is the largest club in France. Otherwise, you’d be hard pressed to find a reason.

So, what are your thoughts? Which club is the biggest in France? If you think I’ve left anything out, tell me in the comments. This is now open for discussion.

Abdoul Razak Boukari (Lens), 85th minute, against Teddy Richert.

(second goal, 1:50)

Miralem Pjanic (Lyon), 3rd minute, against Steve Mandanda.

Sidney Govou (Lyon), 14th minute, against Steve Mandanda.

(third goal, 0:14)

Bakari Kone (Marseille), 47th minute, against Hugo Lloris.

Michel Bastos (Lyon), 90th minute, against Steve Mandanda.

Who gets the prize for Goal of the Week: Round 13?(answers)

Le Mans UC 72 0 – 1 AJ Auxerre

AJA pushed into the top three, at least temporarily, as they eked out a win against Paolo Duarte’s side, who are currently firmly in the relation zone. Speaking of Paolo Duarte, here’s an excellent interview he gave to the Ligue 1 official site. The interviewer is rather bold, asking some interesting questions, and also seems to have been reading to much Harry Potter lately, referring to Jose Mourinho as the ‘Chosen One’.

FC Lorient 5 – 0 Boulogne Côte d’Opale
(No video highlights available at the point–I have seen none of this match)
I’m going to assume from the scoreline that this match was total destruction. It’s also further proof that Boulogne are going down and Cristian Gourcuff is a half decent manager.

AS Monaco FC 0 – 0 Grenoble Foot 38

Some stellar goalkeeping from Ronan Le Crom gave Grenoble their first point of the season, and they dominated the match. A bit of a shock for Monaco, who were playing at home and went into the weekend in third place. Check out the Monaco Offside for a more complete review later.

AS Nancy Lorraine 0 – 1 AS Saint-Etienne

A wonderful goal from the quickly rising star of Dimitri Payet proves key for ASSE, and bumps a frustratingly inconsistent Nancy down to 10th place. Check out the Saint-Etienne Offside for a review.

Paris Saint-Germain 0 – 1 OGC Nice

Guess who’s even more inconsistent than ASNL? PSG of course. Last weeks victory wasn’t a turnaround, simply a performance on which to base false hope. PSG completely dominated the match, but it was Nice who put the ball in the NET. I give credit to Mounier and Remy for the beautiful cross and header. The PSG Offside will have something up soon.

Valenciennes FC 1 – 1 Montpellier Hérault SC

Did you know that these two teams were the highest scoring in Ligue 1? I certainly didn’t. Anyway, Colombians ran the show, but the result didn’t really change anything. Don’t you wish we had a Montpellier Offside?

Sochaux-Montbéliard 1 – 2 RC Lens

Lens pulled out of the drop zone with this victory and grounded Sochaux in the bottom half of the table. Be sure to visit the Lens Offside for more.

LOSC Lille Métropole 2 – 0 Girondins de Bordeaux

In one of the unexpected results of the evening, surprise bottom feeders LOSC upset Ligue leaders Bordeaux. Both sides put on displays of how to miss one on one’s with the keeper, but Gervinho’s dribbling ability eventually won the match for Lille. Visit the Bordeaux Offside for more.

Toulouse FC 3 – 2 Stade Rennais FC
Some nice goals in this matchup, TFC eventually coming out on top. APG seems to have rediscovered his scoring touch, but Moussa Sissoko seems to have no intention of stopping to let Gignac take over. Check out Dave Trotter’s review at the Toulouse Offside.

Olympique Lyonnais 5 – 5 Olympique de Marseille

Match of the century? It’s certainly a candidate. I’ll let the Lyon and Marseille Offsides elaborate.