Marseille, bidding for a 10th French title but first since 2010, closed the gap on reigning champions PSG ahead of the leaders' match against Saint-Etienne ... a 2-1 loss at Brest.

Lyon missed an opportunity to draw level on points with third-placed Monaco in Ligue 1 on Saturday with a 2-1 loss at Brest.Monaco's draw at Nantes and Lille's stalemate with Auxerre on Friday gave Lyon a chance to climb from fifth into the third and final automatic Champions League spot.

French Ligue 1 results on Friday: Lens v Paris Saint-Germain (1600), Rennes v Brest (1800), Lyon v Toulouse (2005)

Courtesy of a first-half blitz with Camara and Ludovic Ajorque both scoring, Brest secured an important home win against Lyon. The visitors' passiveness was

French striker Ousmane Dembele scored a brace for Paris club. And Georgian forward Zuriko Davitashvili netted the guests' goal. PSG lead the current Ligue 1 standings, with 43 points, and are 7 points ahead of Marseille, which are in second place. Saint-Etienne are sixteenth, with 16 points.

Two relegation candidates meet in Ligue 1 on Sunday, as St-Etienne host Nantes in a six-pointer near the bottom of the table. Heading into the weekend, the visitors sit just above their hosts on goal difference in the standings, leaving everything to play for at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.

The first Champions League games to be played in January include one with shocking possible consequences in an unpredictable debut season for the 36-team format.

The year is starting very well for Angers. Fallers in 2025 of Brest and Montpellier, the SCO continued this Sunday

French Ligue 1 table after Sunday's matches (played, won, drawn, lost, goals for, goals against, points):

Second-placed Marseille lost further ground on leader Paris Saint-Germain by drawing 1-1 with Strasbourg in the French league on Sunday. Facing a well-organized and lively visiting side, Marseille struggled to develop its attacking moves in the first half and relied on a penalty converted by Mason Greenwood after the interval to secure a point.

Nantes 1 (Simon 14) Reims 1 (Munetsi 26) Le Havre 1 (Sangante 67) Angers 2 (Diomande 18-og, Lepaul 47) Auxerre 0 Marseille 1 (Greenwood 68-pen) Strasbourg 1 (Emegha 23) Played Saturday Lens 1 (Nzola 36) Paris Saint-Germain 2 (Ruiz 59,

Saint-Etienne and Nantes remain stuck near the bottom of the French league after their 1-1 draw. Both Saint-Etienne and Nantes are part of French soccer aristocracy, having respectively won 10 and and eight league titles.