Strasbourg slump goes on

LOSC Lille Métropole 2-0 RC Strasbourg

Strasbourg's poor domestic form continued on Sunday as they suffered a fourth successive Ligue 1 defeat, away to Lille, to go bottom of the table. Worryingly for coach Jacky Duguépéroux, goalkeeper Stéphane Cassard was at fault for Lille's second goal as he came for, and missed, a cross from the right.

Strasbourg's league problems contrast starkly with their progress in the UEFA Cup, where two wins and no goals conceded have taken them top of Group E. Striker Ulrich Le Pen, defender Karim Haggui and forward Alexander Farnerud are expected to return from lay-offs for the 24 November trip to Roma, but Duguépéroux remains concerned by the team's lack of consistency.

"If the solution to this problem is for someone to come and replace me, as I replaced Antoine Kombouaré last season, in order to save the club, then so be it," the coach said.

FC Messina Peloro 0 - 2 AS Roma

Roma claimed a third straight Serie A victory on Sunday, 2-0 at Messina. A week after scoring the injury-time winner against Ascoli Calcio 1898, defender Philippe Mexes struck again, giving the Giallorossi the lead with a close-range volley.

Roma defended well and sealed the points seven minutes from time with a shot from distance by captain Francesco Totti. Cristian Chivu was suspended, while Antonio Cassano was left out due to a lack of match fitness.

Coach Luciano Spalletti said: "This team made me a happy man. That's the team I want - a team able to deal with pressure like Roma did when Messina tried to push forward to equalise. Francesco Totti was decisive in killing the game with a really important goal. My players rose to the challenge brilliantly and I am happy with them."

FC Basel 1893 1-0 FC St. Gallen

Basel stretched their unbeaten home run in the Swiss Football League to 50 matches to stay six points clear at the top of the table.

After taking a sixth-minute lead through defender Reto Zanni, the hosts struggled to do further damage with Mladen Petrić and Julio Rossi squandering opportunities. However, apart from one late scare, Basel were impressive in defence and Matías Delgado, whose corner had led to the goal, insisted such solidity was key to maintaining high confidence levels following the Group E win at FK Crvena Zvezda on 3 November.

"It wasn't an easy game," said Delgado. "But for us, it was very important to follow up our victory in the UEFA Cup with three points here."

OFK Beograd 0-1 FK Crvena Zvezda

Crvena Zvezda needed a late Milan Dudić header to defeat city rivals OFK Beograd on Sunday. The defender struck 15 minutes from time, converting Dragan Mladenović's cross. The visitors had enjoyed the majority of the chances, but Nikola Žigić and Milan Purović could not find the net. The goal sparked a double celebration for Dudić, who gets married next weekend.

Midfielder Marko Perović limped off with a muscle injury, but Vladimir Mudrinić returned after knee trouble. Coach Walter Zenga has now given his players three days off as they have ten days without a game due to international football.

Zenga said: "Before the game I had been worried, having lost our UEFA Cup match against Basel. But my players were stronger in every department and got back on track. Now we have a real chance of staying at the top of the table. We played a lot of games last month, so the break will do us good."

Tromsø IL

Strugglers Tromsø IL have the luxury of a fully-fit squad as they prepare for the 24 November visit of Crvena Zvezda, Group E's other point-less side. With the Norwegian season having ended, Tromsø will arrange friendly matches to keep their players sharp.

Coach Steinar Nilsen is boosted by the return of Ole Martin Årst, who was suspended for the 2-0 defeat at Strasbourg, and despite sitting bottom of the section, Nilsen is in bullish mood. "We know we have to win our next game but we certainly haven't given up hope of advancing," he said.