Football: PSG beat Lens to chalk up first home win of season 14/01/2008 00:00

Portuguese striker Pauleta came off the bench to help fire Paris Saint Germain to a 3-0 win over Lens

   PARIS, January 13, 2008 - Portuguese striker Pauleta came off the bench
to help fire Paris Saint Germain to a 3-0 win over Lens and secure their first
home win of the season on Sunday.
   However, fellow struggling French giants Marseille's push for a European
spot suffered a major setback when they were beaten 3-1 by Rennes.
   At the Parc des Princes, the arrival of Amara Diane from the sidelines
proved equally beneficial to PSG, the Ivory Coast striker hitting two goals
inside two minutes to breathe life into PSG's abysmal season.
   "It's great because we have really been waiting for that and now we can
savour it more than usual," said PSG coach Paul Le Guen.
   "This victory allows us to breathe and I hope that it gives the players
more confidence at the Parc (des Princes)."
   Pauleta, who has been used sparingly by Le Guen so far this season, fired
the hosts into the lead just under the hour mark when he wrong-footed Lens
keeper Vedran Runje with a well-placed shot from just outside the six-yard box
after a low cross from Diane on the right.
   PSG took advantage of a stunned Lens and just six minutes later Diane made
it two after he connected with a Jerome Rothen pass to volley home.
   The PSG fans had just recovered celebrating the second goal when a
well-worked move just outside of the area on the left resulted in a fine
byline cross from skipper Sylvain Armand to the back post, where an unmarked
Diane headed clear into the back of the net to put the game well beyond
Jean-Piere Papin's side.
   "To concede three goals in ten minutes proves we completely fell to
pieces," said Papin.
   "We saw our weaknesses. We can't let it get to us, this team really has
something, but we have to sort this out very quickly."
   The three valuable points for Le Guen's struggling outfit means the capital
club shoot up the table from 17th to 11th, handing the under-pressure side
some much needed respite
   Marseille are marooned in 12th place after they squandered a 1-0 lead to
lose 3-1 at Rennes.
   Djibril Cisse opened the scoring after fifteen minutes when he headed home
new recruit Kanga Akele's cross.
   However, Mickael Pagis produced a fine goal to pull Rennes level seven
minutes from half-time.
   The Rennes forward ghosted through the Marseille defence, dummied to send
the advancing Steve Mandanda one way to eventually shoot the other.
   Marseille were reduced to ten men in the 67th minute after their Argentine
winter transfer Juan Angel Krupoviesa, playing in his first match for the
southern French outfit, received his second yellow card for a clumsy challenge
on Pagis.
   Former Arsenal forward Sylvain Wiltord stepped up to deliver the hammer
blow.
   The veteran gave the home side the lead on 82 minutes when he headed in
from close range after a tired-looking Marseille defence failed to clear.
   The former Gunner sealed the three points five minutes later.
   Jimmy Briand send a powerful low drive screaming past an outstretched
Mandanda but was denied by the post.
   The rebound fell invitingly for Wiltord who tucked away his second of the
night.
   The defeat has left Marseille just five points off the relegation zone
while Rennes, who celebrated their first victory with Guy Lacombe at the helm,
jumped up five places to ninth.
AFP