Montpellier extends cushion in Ligue 1

Toulouse, France – Younes Belhanda scored in the third minute as Montpellier edged Toulouse, 1-0, on Friday to open a five-point lead in the Ligue 1 standings.

Montpellier won for the fourth time in its last five matches and left PSG five points off the pace ahead of its match at Lille on Sunday. Toulouse lost for the fourth time in its last five, and has slipped to seventh in the standings.

Belhanda deposited a pass from Henri Bedimo into the bottom-left corner just a few minutes into the match and, despite a missed penalty from Olivier Giroud, Montpellier held on for the road win.

PSG faces a tough test Sunday against defending champion Lille, which is third and just five points behind PSG. With second place worth direct qualification to the Champions League, both have a lot to play for this weekend.

Also Sunday, Auxerre hosts Brest, Nancy hosts Caen, Rennes hosts Ajaccio, Sochaux hosts Bordeaux, St Etienne hosts Dijon, Valenciennes hosts Nice.

Lorient 2, Marseille 1

Lorient, France - Arnold Mvuemba and Kevin Monnet-Paquet scored on each side of halftime as Lorient defeated Marseille, 2-1, on Friday to move five points clear of the relegation zone.

Mvuemba converted a penalty kick in the 41st minute and Monnet-Paquet doubled the lead in the 53rd, as Lorient built a two-goal lead and withstood a goal by Mathieu Valbuena in the 77th minute.

While Lorient climbed to 12th with the majority of the league yet to play over the weekend, Marseille lost for the fourth time in its last five and sits just 10th, well off the European places and just eight above the drop zone.