Record for keeper Sirigu as lucky PSG go top
Reuters - Sunday 27 January 2013, 22:21
Paris Saint-Germain were fortunate to reclaim top spot in Ligue 1 after an Aurelien Chedjou own goal secured a 1-0 home win over Lille on Sunday.
Salvatore Sirigu also beat Bernard Lama's PSG record of 697 minutes without conceding a goal as he kept a seventh clean sheet in succession in the league.
Lille were unluckily denied a first-half 'goal' and also hit the woodwork as PSG, who have 45 points from 22 games and lead Olympique Lyon on goal difference, struggled throughout.
Carlo Ancelotti's men broke through in the 68th minute when keeper Steve Elana let an Ezequiel Lavezzi cross slip from his hands and the ball went in off Chedjou's chest.
Lille thought they had gone in front after 34 minutes but Nolan Roux was deemed offside even though the striker appeared to be in a non-active position.
PSG striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic benefited from a bad clearance in the opening half and his low shot from just outside the box smashed against Elana's right post.
Thiago Motta was replaced by Marco Verratti 10 minutes into the second half after picking up a suspected thigh injury as PSG continued to toil.
Florent Balmont then found himself in a great position for Lille but his pass to Dimitri Payet was cleared by Sylvain Armand.
While Sirigu looked sharp, parrying Payet's fierce shot from just inside the area, Elana's clumsiness eventually cost his team.
Tulio De Melo's strike against the post in the 83rd minute only served to add to Lille's frustration.
Earlier, Girondins Bordeaux produced a trademark defensive display to move up to fifth as Henri Saivet's second-half goal earned a 1-0 win at Nice.
Saivet found the back of the net shortly before the hour to put Bordeaux, who kept a clean sheet for the 12th time in 22 league games, on 35 points, 10 behind PSG.
Nice, who suffered their first home league defeat since August, dropped to sixth and trail Bordeaux on goal difference.
The home side enjoyed lots of possession but Argentine striker Dario Cvitanich was kept quiet by the Bordeaux defence.
Bordeaux broke the deadlock in the 58th minute when Saivet was set up by Jaroslav Plasil and he fired past David Ospina with a cross-shot.
Five minutes later teenager Neal Maupay's canny lob landed on Cedric Carrasso's bar as Nice pushed hard for an equaliser.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored his first goal in 1,111 minutes in all competitions as Saint-Etienne beat Bastia 3-0 to go seventh on 34 points.