Tenacious Toulouse show spirit

Toulouse FC climbed out of the Ligue 1 relegation places for the first time since August by virtue of a surprise 1-0 victory against UEFA Cup contenders FC Girondins de Bordeaux on Sunday. Christophe Avrezac scored the game's only goal in the 75th minute to sink mid-table Bordeaux, who had beaten Club Brugge KV 3-1 in the first leg of their UEFA Cup fourth-round encounter in midweek.

Drogba penalty
Olympique de Marseille had no trouble setlling back into the domestic routine. Fresh from their 1-1 draw at Anfield against Liverpool FC on Thursday night, Marseille recorded a clinical 4-0 home win against RC Strasbourg. The scoring began midway through the first half when Didier Drogba was awarded a penalty after being brought down from behind by Fabrice Ehret, who was sent off, and the striker picked himself up to dispatch his 17th goal of the season.

Ferreira double
Steve Marlet scored Marseille's second with a fine individual effort five minutes before half-time, slipping the ball through the legs of Strasbourg goalkeeper Vincent Fernandez. Demetrius Ferreira doubled the winning margin in the second half, taking just 60 seconds of the period to find the net from the edge of the area before making it 4-0 in added time.

Monaco held
Leaders AS Monaco FC dropped points in Sunday's late game, playing out a goalless draw with fourth-placed AJ Auxerre. They now sit just two points ahead of fellow UEFA Champions League quarter-finalists Olympique Lyonnais, who defeated FC Sochaux Montbéliard 2-1 on Saturday.