French League Review

Lille's stuttering start to the new campaign continued as last season's champions lost 1-0 at home to Montpellier.

Rudi Garcia's side was held to a 1-1 draw against Nancy on the opening weekend and a second-half strike from Olivier Giroud was enough for Montpellier to inflict a defeat on the double winners.

In contrast, the victory for Montpellier means they have won their opening two games of the new season following last weekend's impressive 3-1 victory against Auxerre.

Auxerre recovered from a 2-0 half-time deficit to salvage a point from their home clash with Marseille on Sunday.

Marseille looked on course for the win as goals at either end of the first half from Loic Remy and Andre Ayew put them in charge at the break.

However, Auxerre netted almost immediately after the restart through Alain Traore to get back into the contest and Roy Contout's equalizer eight minutes from full-time saw the hosts claim a draw.

Elsewhere on Sunday, a second-half goal by Saber Khelifa guided Evian to their first ever win in Ligue 1 as they edged out Nice.

Bernard Casoni's side was promoted for the second successive season at the end of the last campaign when they were Ligue 2 champions.

Evian had drawn their first match in the top flight last week against Brest but Khelifa's effort ensured they took all three points.

On Saturday, Toulouse, Caen and St Etienne all made it two wins from two in Ligue 1 - but big-spending Paris St Germain were still looking for their first victory after being held to a 1-1 draw at Rennes.

Toulouse scored twice in the final 20 minutes, through Umut Bulut and a Paulo Machado penalty, to see off top-flight new boys Dijon 2-0.

Two former Sochaux players returned to haunt the Montbeliard side as Caen sealed a 2-1 victory at Stade Auguste Bonal.

Romain Hamouma, who spent five years with Sochaux as a youth-team player, gave the visitors a first-half lead, before Pierre Alain-Frau - who made more than 200 appearances for Les Lionceaux - doubled the advantage.

Ryad Boudebouz pulled a goal back three minutes into stoppage time, but the hosts were unable to find an equalizer.

Sylvain Marchal fired home from close range three minutes from time to give St Etienne a richly-deserved 1-0 victory over Nancy at the Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.

The leading trio found themselves five points clear of PSG, whose stuttering start to the league campaign - following their summer takeover by Qatar Sports Investments - continued.

The capital club went down 1-0 at Lorient in their Ligue 1 opener last Saturday and fared only slightly better tonight as Jonathan Pitroipa's 88th-minute leveller for Rennes cancelled out Kevin Gameiro's 73rd-minute strike.

Elsewhere, Lisandro Lopez struck a late equaliser for Lyon to deny newly-promoted Ajaccio an unlikely victory at the Stade Gerland.

Lisandro netted seven minutes from time to earn Les Gones a 1-1 result after a 59th-minute goal from Frederic Sammaritano had put the visitors ahead against the run of play.

A stoppage-time goal from Henrique also salvaged a 1-1 draw for 10-man Bordeaux at the Stade du Moustoir after Yann Jouffre's 82nd-minute strike appeared to have earned Lorient their second win in as many games.

Les Girondins were a man down for the final 11 minutes following the dismissal of Gregory Sertic for a second bookable offence.

In the late kick-off, Valenciennes and Brest battled out a 0-0 draw in the first Ligue 1 match at VA's new Stade du Hainaut home.

Both teams created plenty of chances but there was no breakthrough, with VA goalkeeper Nicolas Penneteau and Brest counterpart Steve Elana solid throughout.