Bordeaux extend Ligue 1 lead

Paris: Girondins Bordeaux went six points clear in Ligue 1 after a 1-0 win at Montpellier on Wednesday, despite France playmaker Yoann Gourcuff missing a penalty.

With two matches to go before the winter break, Bordeaux top the standings on 37 points, Olympique Marseille move to second on 31 thanks to a 2-1 win at Lorient and Montpellier slip to third, one point adrift.

Marseille and Montpellier have a game in hand.

In freezing weather, Bordeaux missed a golden opportunity to unlock a tight game when Gourcuff missed a penalty for handball after a free kick on the half hour.

The champions clinched their fourth league win in a row, the 12th of the season, when Brazilian midfielder Jussie recovered the ball after a bad clearance, sidestepped defender Mapou Yangambiwan and netted a powerful right-footer.

Poor game

"Montpellier deserved a draw. We won but we played a poor game. Maybe it would have been different if we had converted the penalty," Bordeaux coach Laurent Blanc said. "The good point is that we can win even when we play badly."

Olympique Lyon ended a series of poor results which had pushed them down to ninth place with a hard-fought 2-0 win over second-from-bottom Boulogne, their first victory at home since September 26, and climbed back to fourth on 29 points.