Toulouse are in the driving seat in the French league after notching up their third win in three games on Saturday, seeing off promoted Arles 2-1, while champions Marseille got off the mark with a 2-0 home success over Lorient.
Whereas Marseille have stumbled into the new season, losing their opening two encounters after ending an 18-year wait for the title, Toulouse have been going great guns and Norwegian star Daniel Braaten’s third goal of the campaign set them on their way on 36 minutes.
The one-way traffic continued in searing heat as Etienne Didot made it two on the hour but an Arles side containing Greek new arrivals Angelos Basinas and Angelos Charisteas dug in gamely and pulled one back two minutes later as Franck Dja Djedje capitalized on a defensive mix-up.
As Toulouse moved three points clear of Caen — who visited Montpellier yesterday — the mood was buoyant at the Stade Velodrome after goals from Gabriel Heinze after six minutes and Nigerian Taye Taiwo saw off Lorient.
“We started off well and then Lorient gave us a few concerns and ‘keeper Steve Mandanda was decisive,” Marseille coach Didier Deschamps said. “I am happy with the win which was the main thing tonight.”
Marseille began the season by losing to promoted Caen — who have since also shocked Lyon — but they appear to have stopped the rot with a win that lifted them into the middle of the table.
The club have endured a torrid summer in losing Senegalese striker Mamadou Niang to Turkey’s Fenerbahce while France international Hatem Ben Arfa has been on strike while angling for a move to English Premier League side Newcastle.
However, the southerners have landed France international striker Andre-Pierre Gignac from Toulouse — although a move for another French international forward Loic Remy from Nice is in doubt after a medical on Friday revealed an “anomaly” in the player’s heart.
Lyon, another of the bigger clubs to have made an anemic start to the season, finally got a win under their belts with a Jean II Makoun goal edging out Brest at the Stade Gerland.
Elsewhere, Lens came from two goals down to draw 2-2 at home to Monaco and Nice preserved their unbeaten record with a 1-1 draw at home to Nancy.
Auxerre and Valenciennes finished 1-1 to leave the latter in fourth spot.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
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