Lyon Fc

Lyon tipped to make Liverpool approach

French outfit Lyon have been tipped to make a formal approach to Anfield for Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse.

The flamboyant Frenchman has certainly killed any chance of an extended stay after publicly declaring that the manager has it in for him.

Lyon chairman Jean-Michel Aulas has admitted that they have an interest but much will depend on Liverpool's asking price.

Aulas said: "When a player wants to come to Lyon, we love the fact that he declares it."

Any fee that Liverpool receive for Cisse will be handed to Rafa to spend in the market on other targets.

WILTORD SIGNS NEW LYON DEAL

Lyon forward Sylvain Wiltord has signed a two-year extension to his contract with the five-time French champions, meaning he will stay at the club until June 2008.

Wiltord, who is currently in Tignes with Les Bleus ahead of their pre-World Cup friendly against Mexico on Saturday, joined Les Gones in 2004 from Arsenal and has since become a key element of Lyon's attack.

Wiltord had been coveted by Paris St Germain, Marseille and Saint Etienne but eventually decided to remain in Lyon where he put pen-to-paper to the new deal on Sunday before joining his national team.

"Olympique Lyonnais confirm their agreement with international striker Sylvain Wiltord on a two-year extension deal, with view to a third season," read a statement on www.olweb.com.

"This contract extension shows the club's desire to trust the current team which has claimed such great success in recent years while also bolstering the group with the arrival of some of the best French youngsters such as Jeremy Toulalan."

Lyon have also recently extended the contracts of Francois Clerc, Cris, Gregory Coupet and Florent Malouda.

LYON THRASH LE MANS

Lyon  brought the curtain down on another glorious season by smashing hapless Le Mans for eight on Saturday night.

Gerard Houllier's men, who wrapped up a fifth successive Ligue 1 crown several weeks ago, were at their imperious best, especially in the first half when they fired in five goals.

Fred equalised Grafite's shock opener before Cris, Sylvain Wiltord, Fred again and Juninho all got on the scoresheet before the break.

Fred completed his hat-trick with 13 minutes to go and there was still time for Sidney Govou and Tiago to add further goals.

Le Mans stunned the Stade Gerland crowd by taking the lead in the 15th minute, Grafite capitalising on some poor defending before lobbing neatly over Gregory Coupet.

Lyon were quickly back on level terms with Fred firing past Yohann Pele following fine work from Mahamadou Diarra.

Cris swiftly made it 2-1 on the counter before Wiltord doubled the advantage from a tight angle.

Brazil striker Fred netted his second of the night five minutes before half-time after taking Claudio Cacapa's pass and firing past Rodolphe Roche, a 30th-minute replacement for Pele.

Juninho Pernambucano netted the 29th free-kick of his Lyon career to make it 5-1 shortly before the break.

The onslaught continued after the restart.

Fred made it 6-1 with a remarkable 40-yard lob with 13 minutes to go before Govou and Tiago completed the rout.

Les Gones finish the season with 84 points, the most-ever accumulated by a team in Ligue 1.

Lille chase Champions League ticket

Lille will chase a ticket to the Champions League when they visit Stade Rennes in their final Ligue 1 match of the season on Saturday.  With a draw in Brittany, the northerners would make sure of holding on to third place to make the third qualifying round of European club soccer's showcase event. The top two in Ligue 1 qualify directly for the Champions League.

The fourth-placed side will join French Cup winners Paris St Germain and League Cup winners Nancy in the UEFA Cup.

The club that finishes fifth will stand a chance of making the UEFA Cup through the Intertoto Cup.

Olympique Lyon, who entertain Le Mans have already secured a record fifth consecutive title while Girondins Bordeaux, hosting Olympique Marseille, are certain to finish second.

Lille, surprise runners-up last season, are the favourites to finish third since crushing Lyon 4-0 last weekend.

That match stirred controversy, Lyon coach Gerard Houllier having made it easier for Lille by resting several first-choice players.

'My feeling is that we played a good match against a good Lyon side,' said Lille midfielder Mathieu Chalmé.

'Who's on the bench or on the pitch on the other side is not our problem. We had to win and we did. Now we need another good result and we're determined to get it.'

Marseille, in fourth place two points behind Lille, can finish third only if they beat Bordeaux and Lille lose at the same time.

'We want to play in Europe next season and to do that, we have to win in Bordeaux,' said Marseille striker Toifilou Maoulida.

Marseille have not won at Bordeaux since a 2-1 triumph in 1977. Marseille coach Jean Fernandez played in the Marseille team that day.

'Bordeaux were a strong team then already and we were delighted to have won, but we could not imagine that it would be our last win there for so long', Fernandez said.

'Now would be the right time to win there again.'

Rennes, in fifth place just one point below Marseille, can theoretically end up third, but their goal difference means all they can reasonably hope for is fourth place and a UEFA Cup spot.

Ajaccio, Racing Strasbourg and Metz will fill the last three spots whatever the outcome of their final matches and will all be relegated to Ligue 2.

Lyon Franck over Ribery offer

Lyon  president Jean-Michel Aulas has confirmed his interest in Marseille midfielder Franck Ribery.

The 23-year-old playmaker, who joined Jean Fernandez's side from Galatasaray last summer, has notched 10 goals this season, catching the eye with some impressive displays.

Ribery is strongly tipped to be in the France squad for the World Cup in Germany next month and Aulas revealed provisional discussions with the player's agent have already taken place.

Aulas said: "I don't want to embarrass Marseille but Ribery is an excellent player who has a chance to be picked for the World Cup.

"We have discussed this with his agent and he could be interested."

After another successful season, Lyon have reportedly made a 15 million euro (£10.2m) profit, which means the five-times Ligue 1 champions can dedicate 45 million euros (£30.7) to recruitment ahead of next season.

Ribery's agent Bruno Heiderscheid insists it is his "duty" to speak to Lyon, despite the fact he only recently extended his OM contract until 2010.

"This is my duty, to listen to what a club like Lyon have to say," he said. "They won the French title five times.

"I met with Mr Aulas on Tuesday and Wednesday. Lyon have good points. Even if OM is a great club, it would be nonsense not to listen to what Lyon want."

Ribery insists he wants to remain at Marseille, but Heiderscheid has urged the Mediterranean giants to pull out all the stops if they want to keep him.

He said: "Franck has a four-year contract. If OM want to keep him - which is the player's first choice and mine too - they are going to have to make serious efforts."

"The objective is truly to stay at Marseille. But we are going to see how things evolve.

"Franck's level is so high that the greatest European clubs are interested in him, and not only Lyon.

"We must take everything into account."

Juninho voted Ligue 1 player of the year

Olympique Lyon midfielder Juninho Pernambucano has been voted Ligue 1 player of the Season for 2005/06.

The Brazilian collected his trophy Sunday evening in Paris, beating out team-mates Sylvain Wiltford and Florent Malouda and Paris Saint-German striker Pauleta for the award.

The 31-year-old Juninho finished second in the peer vote last year, losing out to then-team-mate Michael Essien, now of Chelsea.

Olympique Marseille’s Franck Ribery was awarded the Young Player of the Season award.

Lille beats Lyon

Nigeria striker Peter Odemwingie scored twice and Lille beat record five-time consecutive champion Lyon 4-0 in the French league on Saturday.

Odemwingie scored in each half to increase his league tally to 14 goals and put third-place Lille in a strong position to clinch the final Champions League place.

With one round left, Lille has 61 points, followed by Marseille on 59 and Rennes on 58.

Because of a far superior goals differential, Lille is likely to only need a point to clinch third place.

Lille, which gave Lyon its first defeat of the season in December and its third Saturday, also had goals from Geoffrey Dernis and Cameroon midfielder Jean Makoun. 

Lille host Lyon in 'most important game'

Ambitious Lille, chasing a Champions League place, play the most important match of their season when they host champions Olympique Lyon  on Saturday. With two games left the northern side hope to remain in third place and make it into the elite European tournament's last qualifying round.

Nearest rivals Olympique Marseille, who entertain relegated Racing Strasbourg, are level on 58 points with Lille and trail them on goal difference.

'This is certainly the most important match of the season,' said Brazilian defender Rafael. 'It's a huge challenge for us. We want to play in the Champions League again, it's one of the goals we set before the start of the season.'

Lille slumped to a 4-2 defeat at neighbours Racing Lens last weekend.

'We can't afford a home defeat on Saturday as our last match will be a tough one at Rennes who are still in the race for a place in Europe,' Rafael said.

'It's going to be a great game because Lyon will come here to take revenge after we beat them at Gerland (stadium).'

The proteges of Claude Puel stunned the French champions 3-1 in December, handing them their first defeat on home soil for more than a year.

'We are kind of their bugbear as we beat them three times over the last two years,' Rafael said.

Marseille, frustrated after they lost to arch-rivals Paris St Germain in the French Cup final last week, can still save their season.

Their convincing 2-1 success at Auxerre on Wednesday put them fourth in the standings.

Marseille have lost only one match in their last nine league outings and thrashed Nancy 6-0 two weeks ago.

Strasbourg have not won a Ligue 1 match for about two months and were relegated last week after losing 3-1 to Nancy on their home turf.

Stade Rennes, fifth after they were held to a 1-1 draw by Paris St Germain on Wednesday, travel to St Etienne.

Les Verts celebrate the 30th anniversary of their European Cup final loss to Bayern Munich next week and were crushed 4-0 by Olympique Lyon last week.

They learned on Wednesday that their coach Elie Baup had turned down the offer of a new contract with the club.

Diarra Staying With Lyon

The personal manager for Lyon midfield muscle Mahamadou Diarra has revealed that the player will again be playing his football at the Gerland next year.

Arsenal and Inter Milan are among his admirers, with Manchester United probably the most eager suitor.

"I have not had any contact with United about him," stated Frederic Guerra. "In any case, he wants to stay in France with Lyon."

"He signed a new four-year contract with the club last year and he wants to stay for another season, at least."

Lyon beat St Etienne

Olympique Lyon  beat St Etienne by four goals to nil at the Stade de Gerland in France's Ligue-1 on Sunday.
Juninho, Fred, and Benoit Pedretti were each on the scoresheet for Lyon, with St Etienne's David Hellebuyck also turning into his own net.
St Etienne made the bright start with Bafetibis Gomis firing a shot against the crossbar in the first minute.
That early let-off seemed to spark Lyon into life, and they took the lead in the eighth minute.
Sylvain Wiltord claimed the goal, but the ball was deflected over the line by visiting defender David Hellebuyck.
Seven minutes before half-time Lyon went 2-0 up, Fred being the scorer with a superbly taken finish.
Free kick
When Julien Sable saw a free-kick come back off the crossbar in the 42nd minute, St Etienne must have known it was not going to be their night.
Ten minutes into the second half, Juninho went down acrobatically under Fousseni Diawara's challenge.
The referee pointed to the spot, and Juninho converted the penalty at the second time of asking, after his first effort was disallowed for encroaching.
Substitute Pedretti rounded off the scoring for the champions in the 82nd minute to make the final score 4-0.
Lyon, who were crowned French champions for the fifth season in a row last weekend, are now 16 points clear of second-placed Bordeaux with two games left to play.

Lyon coach Gerard Houllier has emerged as a possible target for the Australian Football Federation.

Australia are looking for a new manager to replace Guus Hiddink who steps down from the role after this summer's World Cup finals.
FFA chairman Frank Lowy is now drawing up a short list of possible candidates and reports in Australia claim Houllier is top of his wanted list.
The former Liverpool chief has just one year to run on his current deal at Lyon  and it is not known if he will be offered anything more long-term.
"You know what I think. We are looking for an internationally renowned coach," Lowy told the Sydney Morning Herald.
"We are making tentative inquiries, and some inquiries have been made of us. I expect at the completion of the World Cup competition we will make an announcement. I would hope so.
"We can't have a coach who doesn't come to Australia, because there's a lot more to the game than just coming here for the competitive matches. He must impart his knowledge, and experience."
Lowy also confirmed that it was unlikely that current assistant coaches Graham Arnold and Johan Neeskens would replace Hiddink.
"They are a good combination - Graham Arnold has been with the team for a long time, and Neeskens is a well-qualified coach with considerable experience," added Lowy.
"But we are looking for somebody with international experience to take the Socceroos to a much higher level than they are now."

Champions Lyon made to wait for points record

Monaco stalled Olympique Lyon chase for a Ligue 1 points record when they defeated the French champions 2-1 on Sunday.

Uruguay forward Ernesto Chevanton put Monaco ahead in the 33rd minute and Italian Marco Di Viao volleyed home in the second half.

John Carew got one back for Lyon with a close-range shot in injury time.

The defeat means that Olympique Lyon, who clinched a record fifth consecutive title last week, stay on 78 points, one shy of the Ligue 1 record they equalled in 2005. It was their first away defeat in the league this season.

"We played at 80 percent tonight," said Lyon midfielder Mahamadou Diarra. "It was not like we were chasing for the title. We already have it. It's a defeat but it's okay."

"We beat the best side of Ligue 1," said Monaco captain Gael Givet. "If we had played all our matches like tonight's one we would be higher in the table."

Monaco are 10th on 49 points.

Added spice to French semi-finals

 With 21 French Cups between them, Olympique de Marseille (ten triumphs), Stade Rennais FC (two), FC Nantes Atlantique (three) and Paris Saint-Germain FC (six) have no reason to be daunted by Thursday's semi-final assignments in the competition.

Derby fever
Yet the nation has every right to hold its breath in anticipation, as depending on the outcome of the one-off matches in Marseille and Nantes, the final could well involve one of two 'classiques' – OM v PSG, or a meeting of western rivals Rennes and Nantes.

Rennes threat
First things first, however, as Marseille striker Mickaël Pagis warned in advance of the visit of in-form Rennes: "Don't forget Rennes!" OM might have thrashed AS Nancy-Lorraine 6-0 at the weekend, but their fifth position in Ligue 1 is better by the fourth-placed Bretons. Home advantage will be no guarantee at Stade Vélodrome. "The problem with Rennes is that their threat can come from anywhere," admitted striker Toifilou Maoulida, a former Rennes player.

Great expectations
The problem for OM could be meeting expectations. Their quarter-final victory at champions Olympique Lyonnais wagering has fans dreaming of a first domestic trophy since the 1992 Ligue 1 crown – and a first Coupe de France since 1989. "We know our supporters are expecting a trip to the Stade de France [on 29 April]," said coach Jean Fernandez. On the plus side, Rennes's ten-game winning streak ended with Sunday's 2-1 loss at OGC Nice, and they travel south without centre-backs Jacques Faty and John Mensah.

Staying focused
For Nantes, the lowest-ranked of the semi-finalists in 13th spot, the goal is overcoming eighth-placed PSG - and not a possible 'Derby de l'Ouest'. "The final is not our business at the moment," said coach Serge Le Dizet. "Paris are on a high, despite their defeat by Lyon on Sunday. But the cup is our last chance of Europe this season." The capital club are without Pauleta and Bonaventure Kalou, while the match pits Nantes's French international goalkeeper Mickaël Landreau against a team he might yet join in the summer.

Bordeaux loss hands Lyon title

Lyonnais  have claimed a record-breaking fifth consecutive Ligue 1 title without even playing after FC Girondins de Bordeaux's challenge ended with a 3-2 defeat at LOSC Lille Métropole.

Explosive start
The Lyon squad gathered together to watch the game on television ahead of Sunday's trip to Paris Saint-Germain FC, and it proved a celebratory gathering as Lille enjoyed an explosive start. Mathieu Bodmer broke the deadlock inside 60 seconds and when Peter Odemwingie rifled in a second on five minutes, the win Bordeaux needed to maintain their championship aspirations looked a distant goal. Jean-Claude Darcheville reduced the deficit from the penalty spot to give the visitors brief hope before Odemwingie restored the two-goal cushion.

Second battle
Ricardo Gomes' team rallied after the interval, but although winger Julien Faubert made it 3-2 just after the hour, converting Denílson's testing cross, Lille held firm. Indeed, Odemwingie could have notched up his hat-trick in added time but saw his penalty well saved by Ulrich Ramé. It mattered not, as Bordeaux's title aspirations ended and they must now focus on defending second place after Lille rose to third, closing to within three points of matching last season's runners-up spot.

LYON ON BRINK OF ANOTHER TITLE

Lyon bounced back from their Champions League disappointment by taking another giant stride towards claiming a record fifth successive French title with a 2-1 victory over Nice.

The Ligue 1 leaders suffered a heartbreaking exit from Europe when AC Milan knocked them out of the quarter-finals with two late goals at the San Siro.

That was a cruel end to the club's European adventure but there at least looks sure to be happy conclusion on the domestic front with the title now almost within their grasp.

Saturday's home win over Nice combined with second-placed Bordeaux's goalless draw with St Etienne means Gerard Houllier's men are now 14 points clear at the summit with only five games remaining.

Looking to put their San Siro sorrow behind them as soon as possible, Lyon quickly gained the upper hand against Nice and took the lead in the 23rd minute through Fred.

The Brazilian striker, who had already tested Nice goalkeeper Hugo Lloris in the early exchanges, was quick to pounce after Lloris could only parry Tiago's shot back into play.

Sidney Govou had a chance to double Lyon's lead soon after but he blazed over after picking up a pass from Florent Malouda.

A goal then could have ended the game as a contest but Nice made the most of the let-off to draw level in the 37th minute, Ederson easily beating Gregory Coupet in the home goal after being set up by Cyril Rool.

That is the way the score remained until half-time but it took Lyon just seven minutes of the second half to re-establish their lead.

Malouda was the goalscorer as he volleyed the ball past Lloris after Fred had headed Anthony Reveillere's pass into his path.

That proved to be the winning goal although mid-table Nice had three chances to draw level in the final half-hour.

Mamadou Bagayoko was off-target with the first effort after Lyon's Claudio Cacapa had lost possession and then Anthar Yahia saw his 86th-minute header stopped by Coupet.

The final chance arrived in injury-time but Lyon defender Cris was able to make a last-ditch clearance to prevent Florent Balmont's shot crossing the line and in the process helping Les Gones move even closer to what seems sure to be yet another league title.

LYON LOOK TO BOUNCE BACK AGAINST NICE

Most clubs would dream of being 12 points clear at the top of the their domestic league with six matches to play but sadness and disappointment are the overriding emotions for Lyon ahead of their match with Nice.

The club's elimination from the Champions League at the quarter-final stage at the hands of AC Milan in a tie they could - and perhaps should - have won has made for a deflated mood at the Stade Gerland.

Brazilian midfielder Juninho admits the mood in the camp is subdued even though Lyon are poised to make French football history by winning five titles in a row.

Juninho told www.olweb.fr: "We are very sad for the club but equally for the supporters who were looking forward so much to qualification.

"The coach (Gerard Houllier) has talked to us to try and cheer us up and to assure us he still has faith in the squad that has shown its strength throughout the season.

"Some players are more devastated than others but I am confident the squad will react on Saturday."

Tiago could return to the midfield after he was suspended against Milan, where Lyon conceded two late goals to lose 3-1 in their second leg encounter at the San Siro.

Nice coach Frederic Antonetti has decided to rest Olivier Echouafni, Sammy Traore and Cedric Varrault for Saturday's match.

Antonetti wants to prevent the trio from picking up a booking that would mean they would be suspended from the Coupe de la Ligue final with Nancy at the Stade de France later this month.

Nice's Ivory Coast international forward Bakary Kone has warned his team-mates not to get too carried away with thoughts of their impending final in Paris.

He told club website www.ogcnice.fr: "We don't want to think about the final too early.

"Of course we are thinking about it but we don't want to mix it up with the Ligue 1 games."

LYON CONCENTRATE ON LEAGUE

Lyon end what has been a bitter-sweet week with a match with Nice that should take them closer to the historic achievement of a fifth consecutive title.

Last weekend, any lingering doubts about the title race were ended when Lyon beat Troyes 1-0 and their closest pursuers Bordeaux lost at Paris St Germain.

That means Lyon lead by 12 points with five matches to play and not even the one-eyed Bordeaux fan would be prepared to stake any money on his team now.

However, what should have been a celebratory week for Lyon turned into something of a wake after their elimination from the Champions League by an AC Milan team that appeared to be chasing shadows for much of the second leg until they scored two late goals to stun the French side.

"On the two matches, we deserved to qualify," coach Gerard Houllier told club website www.olweb.fr. "That's football.

"But we are first in the championship with a 12-point lead. I think we will be champions. We also want to win the Coupe de France.

"It's in adversity that you bounce back - you will see that with my team."

Bordeaux host St Etienne in a match where there will be a warm reception for visiting coach Elie Baup by the fans of the club he led to the 1999 Ligue 1 title.

The boardroom welcome might be less friendly, however - Baup sued the club when he was sacked.

PSG, who like Marseille are facing the prospect of a points deduction for the events surrounding the recent meeting between the club, visit Lens while Marseille visit Monaco in the Cote d'Azur derby match.

Rennes are in the in-form team in Ligue 1, with seven consecutive wins having lifted them to fourth, and will be confident of an eighth against a Sochaux team that are now virtually safe from relegation while Auxerre and Le Mans meet in the other Sunday match.

Third-placed Lille make the trip to Nancy.

With the title race effectively over, much of the interest will be in the relegation dogfight with - realistically - four teams scrapping to avoid finishing in the bottom three.

The fourth-bottom spot that would mean safety at the end of the season is currently occupied by Troyes, who have not won in their last 12 Ligue 1 games.

They visit second-bottom Metz at the Stade St Symphorien knowing they will be level on points with their opponents if they lose.

Third-bottom Strasbourg are two points behind Troyes and host Nantes. Bottom club Ajaccio are five points away from safety and must win at home to Toulouse.

Pedretti calls for Lyon bite

Olympique Lyonnais midfield player Benoît Pedretti believes the French champions showed AC Milan too much respect in last week's UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg and insists they must play with more conviction at the San Siro on Tuesday.
Milan domination
Last season's finalists dominated the opening exchanges at the Stade Gerland as Lyon struggled to find the form that has kept them unbeaten at home in the UEFA Champions League for three-and-a-half years. Andrea Pirlo, Gennaro Gattuso and Clarence Seedorf seized control of the midfield, creating a string of chances, and only some excellent goalkeeping from Grégory Coupet denied the Serie A side.
We were poor'
Although the game finished goalless, Pedretti told uefa.com: "We were very poor early on. We played too deep and seemed happy to watch them play. If you do that against a side of their quality you don't get near the ball." Milan, six times European champions, were given a big build-up in the French press before the game, and the France international feels that may have affected Lyon's mindset. "An awful lot was written about Milan, but maybe they're not as good as everyone says.
'Skilful players'
"They weren't stronger than us in the first game and I don't expect them to be in the second. They've got very skilful players who are excellent when in possession, but they aren't so good when they don't have the ball. Once we settled we realised that and started to cause them problems."
Dida save
The French champions missed the presence of the suspended Juninho Pernambucano, even though his replacement Pedretti did his best to impersonate the influential Brazilian. The 25-year-old almost opened the scoring with a Juninho-esque free-kick but his inswinging effort was clawed away by Dida. "I played in Juninho's position but I'm not his direct replacement," Pedretti said. "I just played my own game and tried to perform well for the team."
'We looked dangerous'
Pedretti's attempt sparked something of a revival for Lyon, who slowly grew in confidence. "In the second half we were more like our normal selves," he continued. "We stopped giving them time on the ball and imposed our own rhythm. As soon as we began getting the ball forward early to Florent Malouda and Sylvain Wiltord, we looked dangerous. If we can put our attackers in good positions over there I'm convinced we can score."
Juninho boost
Lyon have not lost away from home in any competition since April last year and have scored at least one goal in every UEFA Champions League trip this campaign. They are also boosted by the return of Juninho, although another first-choice midfield player, Tiago, is now suspended, meaning that Pedretti is likely to play a pivotal role again.
High-profile move
Once regarded as a rising star of the French game, the graceful playmaker lost his way somewhat after a high-profile move from FC Sochaux-Montbéliard to Olympique de Marseille in 2004. He then struggled to make an impact during his first six months at Lyon and lost his place in the France squad, but in recent weeks has started to play regularly again.
Pedretti improvement
Pedretti's impressive passing game appears to be returning and so, perhaps most importantly, does his confidence. "My own performances aren't the most important thing at the moment," he insisted. "I'm pleased to be playing more and it's a pleasure to take part in massive games like the ones against Milan. But the most important thing is that Lyon qualify for the semi-finals. All I'm interested in for now is helping them to achieve that."