PARIS -- Defending champion Paris Saint-Germain moved five points clear of Monaco at the top of the French league after coming f

Posted in IYH Forums by jokergreen0220 at 08:46, Jul 10 2018

PARIS -- Defending champion Paris Saint-Germain moved five points clear of Monaco at the top of the French league after coming from behind for a hard-fought 2-1 win at last-place Ajaccio on Saturday. Argentina winger Ezequiel Lavezzi and France midfielder Blaise Matuidi scored, with star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic setting up both despite having a poor game by his high standards. Forward Eduardo gave Ajaccio the lead in the sixth minute after being set up by right winger Benjamin Andre, and the Corsican side looked comfortable in the first half, with the lively Johan Cavalli causing problems with his probing runs from midfield. "We were playing against a team fighting for survival. They created chances but so did we, so I think its a fair result," Matuidi said. "The pitch wasnt easy to play on either, it was very dry. It did bother us a bit. But lets not look for excuses -- the main thing is that we won and that we keep moving forward. "Its good to win and keep that gap. Weve shown that well be there (at the end) and we wont give up." Lille can overtake Monaco and move into second place if it beats Reims at home on Sunday. After striker Edinson Cavani missed two chances, PSG cut through Ajaccios defence easily for the equalizing goal in the 41st. Cavani collected the ball in midfield from Ibrahimovic, turned and passed to Matuidi, whose pass released Ibrahimovic behind the defence and his cross from the right gave Lavezzi a comfortable finish from close range. Ibrahimovic made a sloppy start to the second half, and it was a rare sight to see him casually giving possession away several times, even failing with one easy cross from the left as he let the ball slip away from him. Ajaccio almost regained the lead in the 68th when Cavallis fine pass released Eduardo, and his shot from the right side of the penalty area forced goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu into a low save. Shortly after, coach Laurent Blanc made two changes as he tried to spark some life into his listless team -- taking off centre half Alex and bringing on playmaker Javier Pastore, and replacing Lavezzi with winger Lucas Moura. Blanc switched to a 4-4-2 formation and Cavani moved in from the right to join Ibrahimovic in attack. Moments later, PSG scored after a brilliant piece of skill from Pastore. The Argentine dragged the ball back and turned to hit a swerving pass over the Bastia defence. Ibrahimovic rose at the back post to head the ball down and Matuidi sprinted in to turn the ball past goalie Guillermo Ochoa. "Even though they had a lot of possession, I think we were hanging in there and looked solid, but that goal hurt us," centre half Ricardo Faty said. Eduardo went close in the 83rd when he slid in at the back post, but his shot hit the side-netting, and midfielder Paul Lasne headed wide when well placed after running onto Eduardos cross from the left. Ochoa made a great reflex save with his left foot to deny Cavani in the last minute. Later Saturday, it was: Bordeaux vs. Toulouse; Guingamp vs. Saint-Etienne; Lyon vs. Sochaux; Rennes vs. Nice, and Valenciennes vs. Bastia. In Sundays other games, Marseille goes to Evian and Nantes faces Lorient. Monaco was held to a 1-1 draw at Montpellier on Friday. CINCINNATI, Ohio -- Even the lopsided ones come with last-inning frights for the Cincinnati Reds. Devin Mesoraco homered and drove in three runs, and Mike Leake pitched into the seventh inning and doubled home a run, leading the Reds to a 9-5 victory on Tuesday night that ended their six-game losing streak against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Reds held on in the ninth, needing their closer to finish off only their third win in the last 11 games. They are 17-33 since the All-Star break, sliding out of contention. "The good thing was we stayed resilient," manager Bryan Price said. The Cardinals lost for only the second time in 11 games but maintained their 4 1/2-game lead over Pittsburgh in the NL Central. St. Louis is 10-4 against the Reds and 40-25 overall in the division. Leake (11-11) was coming off his worst start of the season, giving up a season-high seven runs and three homers during a 9-7 loss in Baltimore last Thursday. Against the Cardinals, Leake allowed three runs and eight hits. He also doubled home a run in the fourth off Michael Wacha (5-6) for a 3-1 lead. His fifth double of the season was his 68th career hit, the most by any pitcher in the majors since his debut in 2010. Aroldis Chapman relieved with two on and two outs in the ninth and fanned Mark Ellis on a 101 mph fastball to end it, getting his 31st save in 33 chances. Mesoraco hit his 23rd homer in the first inning, a two-run shot. He also doubled home a run in the fifth as Cincinnati scored four times, knocking Wacha out of the game. "Thats the first time Ive faced Wacha, and I wasnt quite sure what to expect," Mesoraco said. "On 3-2 he threw me a curveball in the middle of the plate. I wasnt sure it was going to be a home run, but the ball was carrying tonight." Wacha made his second start since returning from a shoulder problem that had sidelined him since mid-June and gave up six hits, six runs and three walks. Down 7-1, the Cardinals sent nine batters to the plate in the seventh inning. Tony Cruz and Jon Jay had RBI singles, and Jumbo Diaz walked Jhonny Peralta with the bases loaded, cutting it to 7-4.dddddddddddd. First baseman Brayan Pena made a diving stop of A.J. Pierzynskis line drive to end the rally. "We had some diving plays," Leake said. "This was one of the best games weve played so far." Chris Heiseys two-run single in the eighth let Cincinnati pull away. STAR PLAY Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong saved a run in the fourth when he sprinted into right field and made an over-the-shoulder catch of Billy Hamiltons fly, holding onto the ball as he tumbled on the ground. MESORACO AND BENCH Mesoraco has hit 22 of his 23 homers while catching, the most by a Reds catcher since Johnny Bench hit 23 in 1980. His other homer came as a designated hitter. STATS Wong extended his hitting streak to six games. ... Wacha allowed five earned runs for the first time this season. ... RHP Sam Tuivailala made his big league debut and gave up two runs and retired two batters. ... Xavier Scruggs got his first career hit. ... Reds SS Zack Cozart snapped an 0 for 16 slump. ... It was the first time this season that the Reds won a game when they allowed 14 hits. TRAINERS ROOM Cardinals: Manager Mike Matheny is gradually increasing Wachas pitch counts. Matheny says getting him back is "like getting a new player" for down the stretch. He threw 70 pitches on Tuesday, 44 for strikes. Reds: Starter Dylan Axelrod is likely done for the season with a strained right oblique, sustained on his seventh pitch Monday night. ... 1B Joey Votto took ground balls for a second straight day on Tuesday. The Reds are trying to get him ready to play the final week of the season. He has been on the disabled list since July 8 with strained muscles above his left knee. UP NEXT Cardinals: St. Louis is 10-4 against the Reds this season. John Lackey (13-9) starts the third of their four-game series on Wednesday. Reds: Alfredo Simon (13-10) is 1-7 with a 5.27 ERA in 10 starts since his first All-Star game. NFL Jerseys Wholesale Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys 2020 Wholesale NFL Gear China Jerseys Cheap Wholesale Nike NFL Jerseys NFL Jerseys China ' ' '