Saturday 19 January (all times local)17:10 Lorient 1 - 0 Paris Saint-Germain
20:00 Auxerre 1 - 0 Strasbourg
20:00 Le Mans 1 - 2 Bordeaux
20:00 Marseille 3 - 1 Valenciennes
20:00 Metz 1 - 4 Monaco
20:00 Saint Etienne 2 - 0 Rennes
20:00 Sochaux 1 - 1 Lille
20:00 Toulouse 1 - 0 Caen
Sunday 20 January
18:00 Nice vs Nancy
20:55 Lens vs Lyon
Lorient 1 - 0 Paris Saint-Germain
Despite a late fightback from PSG, Lorient still prevailed in this weekend opener thanks to their early superiority.
Talk of a Paris revival quickly disappeared as Lorient started by far the better side, duly taking the lead 20 minutes in.
Granted, they had some poor defending to thank. Saifi was able to take advantage of an error from Ceara to ghost through and fire in a shot, which Bourillon turned past Landreau into his own net.
Luyindula skied a rare Parisien effort over the bar soon afterwards, but the story of the first half was largely a Breton one, even allowing for Audard's tremendous save from a Mendy header.
PSG could have equalised twenty minutes into the second period after Rothen set up Diane, but Audard was spared having to pick the ball out of his net.
A few more chances were forthcoming, but Lorient had already done enough.
AJ Auxerre 1 - 1 Racing Strasbourg
Auxerre somehow failed to score more than once as a Racing side well and truly in freefall halted their slide with a late equaliser.
AJA had the best possible start when Kahlenberg freed Chafni on the right, with the latter in turn playing a fine cross for Niculae to hit a parried effort home for an early lead.
There were yet more great chance to come - Kahlenberg himself launched a fine solo effort, while Mignot came close with an incredible 40-yard chip, but 1-0 it stayed to the halfway point of the first half.
Racing then had a chance themselves, but it was quite clear that AJA were enjoying their football. Even Renteria's brilliant second half solo run - leaving essentially the entire Auxerre defence in his wake - was insufficient to really test the home 'keeper.
Instead, Kahlenberg and Niculae ran riot at the other end, and were unlucky not to add to their lead as the game drew to a close.
That made it all the more heartbreaking for the home support when Fanchone got on the end of a long ball to beat Sorin, stealing a point to take back up north.
Le Mans Union Club 1 - 2 Girondins de Bordeaux
A game's worth of action settled this encounter in the first half as Bordeaux kept up their European challenge at the expense of the MUC's.
Le Mans actually had the first chance through Matsui, but he found his effort clawed off the line by Jurietti before Girondins decided to take matters into their own hands.
Cavenaghi hit a fine shot from the edge of the box to beat Pele just a few minutes later, and could have scored immediately afterwards were it not for a reflex stop from the home 'keeper.
Fernando was able to double the advantage soon afterwards after good work from Cavenaghi and Bellion, but Le Mans ere given a glimmer of hope when Tallec was able to break free in the box to fire past Rame.
Jurietti then saw a straight red just before the interval for fouling Douillard, and suddenly everything was that much harder.
However, Bordeaux were able to contain Le Mans with relative ease, particularly when the hosts themselves went down to ten men after Cerdan's "last man" foul on Wendel, which esentially killed off the hosts entierly.
Olympique Marseille 3 - 1 Valenciennes AFC
Valenciennes' miseries were further compounded as Marseille kept their fine Ligue run going with a stylish victory.
But despite Marseille's colossal recent home record, Valenciennes in fact started in some style, more than once bringing out some good stops from Mandanda.
However, the OM were to go in at the interval the happier side, Djibril Cisse netting his third in four games after Cana crossed in for a fine left-footed finish.
Julien Rodriguez made it 2-0 right after the break, though, to all but kill off the VAFC challenge, and as the hosts' heads went down, Cisse was able to add a third after capping off a superb team move involving Nasri, Zenden and Traore.
To their credit, Valenciennes were able to pull one back through Audel after a breakdown in communication between Mandanda and Rodriguez.
But it was too little, too late, as Marseille had already merited their win.
Metz FC 1 - 4 AS Monaco
Monaco's inconsistent nature was not exactly put to the test in Metz, with the hosts capitulating to yet another home loss en route to relegation.
Metz had had a few long-range efforts, but for the most part, it was clear that Monaco were in control, mostly thanks to dreadful home defending.
Menez made it 1-0 on the half-hour mark after concluding a well-crafted move by rounding Marichez to fire into an empty net, and just sixty seconds later, Delhommeau's error allowed Piquionne through to double the advantage.
Les Grenats were thrown a lifeline just after the interval when Aguirre lessened the deficit, but Gakpe's long-range effort six minutes from time confirmed the win that was in truth sealed long ago.
AS Saint Etienne 2 - 0 Stade Rennais
In a game short on chances, Saint-Etienne proved that they had enough in the tank to take all three points.
The first-half was close-fought, but Dernis' early goal was enough to separate the sides at the interval. The midfielder slotted home unopposed after being selflessly put through by Gomis.
Dabo very nearly doubled the advantage soon after, but on the whole there was little to shout about in the opening 45.
The second half saw a few more chances for both sides, but only one team really had any conviction about them. That was the verts, who sealed the win six minutes from time as Gomis headed home a winner after a corner.
Sochaux 1 - 1 Lille OSC
Lille won't receive much use from a mere point, but they'll be happy to get it after contesting 85 minutes with a man fewer than their opponents.
Debuchy was sent off just five minutes into this encounter after hacking down Isabey, and thus began a period of pressure from the hosts.
Erding got on the end of a fine through ball from Isabey but saw his shot turned over the bar, and the pressure didn't let up until the very end of the half.
The two linked up again, in fact, just before the interval to make it 1-0 after a fine piece of teamwork.
Lille could have been dead and burried just after the interval, but the referee, a Herve Piccirillo, cancelled his spot-kick decsion just seconds after having given it, due to offside.
As if to truly crush the dreams of the home support, Obraniak then broke forward to equalise on the counter.
Lille 'keeper Malicky then kept his side in it as Sochaux struggled in vain to win this relegation scrap.
Toulouse FC 1 - 1 Stade Malherbe Caen
Toulouse and Caen fought out a draw down south in what was perhaps the fairest possible result after an entertaining game.
TEF managed to take a lead in at the half time break, but it was against the run of play. For Caen had already had a host of chances - albeit wayward ones - by the time that 35th minute lead came about.
Still, Dieuze must be credited with a confident finish after rising to meet a corner, although Thebaux could have done a lot better with it.
However, after an eventful second period in terms of half-chances, the game was levelled when Deroin fired in a low shot from the edge of the area with twenty minutes to go.
And for all the frenetic pace and excitement, that was the end of the goalscoring action.
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