Ribery steers Marseille to the top of the table

France midfielder Franck Ribery helped Marseille to a 3-0 win at Auxerre on Saturday which put his side top of Ligue 1 on goal difference ahead of Le Mans.

Ribery, who shone at the recent World Cup in Germany, opened the scoring after 45 minutes and also sparked the move which led to the second goal by striker Toifilou Maoulida after 48.

Auxerre, coached by former Marseille boss Jean Fernandez, were reduced to 10 men when forward Kanga Akale elbowed Marseille defender Ronald Zubar in the 51st minute.

Striker Mickael Pagis netted the third goal from close range with 20 minutes remaining.

“Having scored is a relief,” said Ribery, who considered a move to champions Lyon during the close season but was persuaded to stay at Marseille.

“I’ve been through a difficult time,” he told reporters. “This pleases me and I hope it pleases the fans as well.

“We played really well tonight. Our goal is to finish in the top three and our good start to the season suggests we will be able to.”

Former European champions Marseille have seven points from three games, leading on goal difference from Le Mans, who recovered from two goals down to beat promoted Valenciennes 3-2.

Lille, who had won their first two matches, dropped to third place after losing 1-0 at Paris St Germain.

Portugal striker Pauleta scored the winner for PSG from a superb free kick on 60 minutes.

Lille went down to 10 men four minutes later when Brazilian defender Rafael was sent off for grabbing Pauleta round the waist.

Monaco looked set for their first win of the season after Czech striker Jan Koller gave them a 1-0 lead but Stade Rennes equalised four minutes from time through forward Jimmy Briand.

The team from the principality, who had lost their first two matches, are third from bottom.

Girondins Bordeaux, in fourth place on six points, entertained Lyon yesterday. Lyon, chasing their sixth consecutive title, are eighth on four points. – Reuters