Bordeaux midfielder Yoann Gourcuff was named by his fellow professionals on Sunday as France’s Player of the Year.

The 22-year-old, whose play has drawn comparisons with the great Zinedine Zidane, has been instrumental in the Girondins’ excellent season which currently sees them top of the French first division and needing just one point from next weekend’s final round of games to lift the title.

He has contributed 12 goals and laid on seven others in 26 matches played and also taken on an increasingly key role in the French national side who are in a period of transition under coach Raymond Domenech.

Gourcuff started his career at Rennes, but moved to Italy to play for AC Milan in 2006.

He failed to make his mark there though and joined Bordeaux on loan at the start of this season. He has yet to decided where he will play next season.

If Marseille are to become French champions for the first time in 17 years, they must first dethrone reigning kings Lyon in a crunch clash at the Stade Velodrome on Sunday.

Lyon, champions every year since 2002, have fallen off the pace this season; their title hopes hang by a mathematical thread and they are being pushed hard by Paris Saint Germain for the final Champions League qualifying place.

Marseille lead Bordeaux on goal difference with three matches remaining, after both sides won away from home in mid-week – Bordeaux coming from behind to beat Valenciennes 2-1 after Marseille had sunk neighbours Nice 2-0.

Outgoing Marseille coach Eric Gerets, who will be replaced by former club captain Didier Deschamps in the summer, said it was one of his side’s best away performances of the season, but warned that the race was far from run.

“I’m afraid that we’ll have to win our last three matches,” the Belgian said. “And even if we win them, we won’t be sure of being champions.”

Senegalese striker Mamadou Niang gave Marseille a 25th-minute lead on Wednesday and the injury-troubled frontman said he was prepared to play through the pain barrier in a bid to fire his side to the title.

“The adrenaline at the end of the season allows me to forget the little injuries, the little pains,” he said. “We have to keep a cool head, the games aren’t over yet.”

Title-hunting Marseille Welcome Lyon to Lions´ Den … read more »

FC Girondins de Bordeaux moved into second in Ligue 1 after coming from three goals down to win 4-3 at AS Monaco FC, but Olympique de Marseille lost ground on leaders Olympique Lyonnais after losing to AS Nancy-Lorraine.

Sensational fightback
The points seemed to be set for the home side in Monaco as Juan Pablo Pino (12) and two goals from Alexandre Licata (43, 50) put the hosts in charge. However, Marouane Chamakh got one back a minute after Licata’s second and Alou Diarra reduced the deficit further midway through the half. Monaco looked to have done enough to hang on to the points but Chamakh equalised with four minutes remaining and then Fernando Cavenaghi hit the winner almost immediately prompting Bordeaux coach Laurent Blanc to say: “Hats off to the players. It’s the kind of game you can lose 5-0 but sometimes you make changes and it turns the whole game.”

Marseille shot down
UEFA Cup contenders Marseille went down 3-0 at home to Nancy with Youssouf Hadji scoring twice in the space of five first-half minutes. Missing injured striker Mamadou Niang, the hosts could not respond and the Stade Vélodrome crowd were stunned further when Issiar Dia concluded the scoring just before the hour mark.

PSG stutter
Paris Saint-Germain FC rose into fourth with a 2-2 home draw against Valenciennes FC, who jump to 18th in the 20-team table. The capital club looked to be on their way to victory when Guillaume Hoarau opened the scoring in the 28th minute with his eleventh of the season. Rudy Mater levelled matters just after the interval, but PSG once again took control as Jérôme Rothen found the net with 17 minutes remaining. However, the visitors earned a share of the spoils when Siaka Tiéné struck in the 85th minute.

Olympique Lyonnais will head into the winter break as Ligue 1 leaders after ending their four-game winless streak with a 1-0 victory at SM Caen, while Stade Rennais FC leapt up to second for a day at least after they won 2-1 at FC Lorient.

Benzema strike
Lyon needed only a point in Normandy to be sure of ending 2008 on top, but after two draws and two defeats in their previous league outings, Claude Puel’s men were anxious for a more emphatic statement. They were far from being at their best, but a tenth goal of the season from Karim Benzema eventually proved sufficient, the French international striker powering high into the net two minutes before half-time.

Comeback win
That leaves Les Gônes four points clear of their closest pursuers, Rennes, who risk being overtaken by Olympique de Marseille, FC Girondins de Bordeaux and Paris Saint-Germain FC after Sunday’s games. The Brittany club will have enjoyed their win nonetheless, Asamoah Gyan (76) and Moussa Sow (82) striking late on after Jérémy Morel (45) had put hosts Lorient in front.

Lille lift
Toulouse FC dropped to seventh after being held to a 2-2 draw by visitors OGC Nice, who equalised in the final minute through defender Vincent Hognon. LOSC Lille Métropole are up to fifth, in contrast, thanks to their 3-1 success at home against Le Havre AC, while 17th-placed AS Saint-Etienne gave themselves some breathing space at the bottom by seeing off AJ Auxerre 2-0 at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard. Elsewhere, Grenoble Foot 38 emerged 2-1 winners on home soil against Le Mans UC 72 and the match between FC Nantes and FC Sochaux-Montbéliard ended 1-1.