Paris Saint Germain in shock defeat
Paris Saint Germain in shock defeat
PARIS (AFP): French league leader Paris Saint Germain saw its 27-match unbeaten record run go up in smoke here in Tuesday when it crashed 3-0 to Nantes.
It was the worst possible preparation for its European Cup Winnners' Cup semi-final second leg clash with English club Arsenal next week.
Yet while Nantes' attack, led by the lively Nicolas Ouedec - joint top scorer in the league with 18 goals this season - grabbed every chance, the visitor missed a string of opportunities.
The result still leaves the Parisians five points clear at the top of the table with only five matches remaining, after Olympique Marseille - the last side to beat it on Aug. 14 last year - grabbed a 2-1 win against Angers.
But boss Artur Jorge will be far more concerned about the psychological effect the defeat could have in the run-up to its match at Arsenal, which drew 1-1 in Paris in the first leg.
The Parisian defense had only let in 16 goals in 32 games before Tuesday but was weakened at the back with the absence of French international Alain Roche.
A mistake by Brazilian star Ricardo let Fabrice Loko score the opener in the 20th minute before Reynald Pedros tapped in for the second in the 66th.
Ouedec had set up that chance, shooting through Bernard Lama for the ball to end up a yard in front of the goal line and Pedros returned the compliment four minutes later, escaping on the right and crossing low for Ouedec to sweep home.
Paris Saint Germain skipper Paul Le Guen said: "You can't expect to win games like this if you don't take the dozen chances you create."
Club president Michel Denisot added: "It had to happen, it's the end of a fine run. We had so many chances and still lost 3-0. Luckily, we've got eight days before we have to play Arsenal."
Marseille's goals came from Rudi Voller after 14 minutes, with Serbian Dragan Stojkovic adding the second five minutes later.
Meanwhile Monaco's lingering hopes of European qualification faded further when it was held 0-0 by Lens, leaving it in eighth place and five points adrift of fourth-placed Auxerre.
Bayern slips
In Bonn, Bundesliga leader Bayern Munich slipped up in agonizing fashion on Tuesday, losing 2-0 in the final minutes at Borussia Moenchengladbach and giving the chasing pack a glimmer of hope.
It was a nightmare result for Franz Beckenbauer's side, which had pulled four points clear last weekend.
It lost to two Heiko Herrlich goals, the first just two minutes from the end and the second with seconds to go until the final whistle.
Second-placed Eintracht Frankfurt, on 33 points to Bayern's 37, get the chance to cut the gap when it hosts Duiburg on Wednesday, while Bayer Leverkusen, also on 33, travels to Schalke 04.
Results Bundesliga Nuremberg 1, Stuttgart 0 Hamburg 0, Dortmund 0 Cologne 3, Wattenschied 2 Moenchengladbach 2, Bayern Munich 0 Kaiserslautern 1, Leipzig 0
French 1st div Strasbourg 0, Montpellier 1 Marseille 2, Angers 1 Bordeaux 4, Sochaux 1 Nantes 3, Paris Saint Germain 0 Monaco 0, Lens 0 Toulouse 2, Metz 2 Le Havre 2, Martigues 0 Cannes 2, Auxerre 1 Lille 3, Caen 1
Standings (tabulate under played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, against and points):
P W D L F A Pts Paris SG 33 20 10 3 44 19 50 Marseille 33 17 11 5 48 28 45 Bordeaux 33 17 7 9 45 27 41 Auxerre 33 16 8 9 46 23 40 Nantes 33 14 11 8 40 24 39 Cannes 33 13 11 9 43 40 37 Montpellier 33 13 11 9 34 31 37 Monaco 33 12 11 10 47 33 35 Lens 33 11 13 9 37 30 35 Lyon 32 14 7 11 30 30 35 Saint Etienne 32 11 11 10 32 27 33 Strasbourg 33 9 13 11 36 39 31 Sochaux 33 9 12 12 34 40 30 Metz 33 9 11 13 26 31 29 Lille 33 7 13 13 36 44 27 Caen 33 11 5 17 25 49 27 Le Havre 33 6 14 13 26 41 26 Martigues 33 5 13 15 33 53 23 Toulouse 33 3 14 16 21 50 20 Angers 33 3 12 18 28 52 18