Montpellier joins PSG at the top of Ligue 1

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02/11/2012 - Montpellier, France (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Montpellier scored three second-half goals in the span of 14 minutes en route to a 3-0 win over Ajaccio at the Stade de la Mosson on Saturday.

The victory moves Montpellier level on points with PSG, although the capital club can take back the top spot with a win or draw at Nice on Sunday.

Montpellier always looked to be the club to open the scoring, but the hosts had to wait until the 53rd minute when Younes Belhanda converted a penalty kick after Henri Bedimo was fouled inside the penalty area by Ajaccio's Benjamin Andre.

Olivier Giroud set up the second goal for Remy Cabella in the 65th minute before Giroud found the back of the net himself two minutes later, netting his league-leading 16th goal with a wonderful volley that put Montpellier out of reach.

The hosts have now claimed wins in their last four matches, while Ajaccio saw its six-match unbeaten streak come to an end.

Auxerre 1, Lorient 1

Auxerre, France - Auxerre failed to move out of the bottom three on Saturday as the home side conceded a stoppage-time equalizer to 10-man Lorient in a 1-1 match.

Willy Boly had Auxerre in front after 18 minutes, while Lorient goalkeeper Fabien Audard was sent off two minutes later for handling the ball outside his own penalty area.

But the visitors showed plenty of fight and claimed an unlikely point in stoppage time when Innocent Emeghara met Mathieu Coutadeur's corner kick at the near post and redirected it past goalkeeper Olivier Sorin with his head.

Lorient has drawn its last four games in Ligue 1 with Auxerre sitting two points adrift of safety.

Caen 2, Lyon 1

Lyon, France - Lyon fell further off the title pace on Saturday as the club sustained a 2-1 defeat at home against relegation-threatened Caen.

The visitors beat Lyon earlier this season and completed the double on Saturday with Romain Hamouma opening the scoring after 13 minutes for Caen, while Livio Nabab doubled the advantage in the second half.

Lisandro Lopez managed to pull a goal back from the penalty spot four minutes from time for Lyon, but the result leaves them 10 points back of the leaders, while Caen moves three points clear of the relegation zone.

Valenciennes 1, Nancy 0

Valenciennes, France - Valenciennes snatched a last-gasp win on Saturday against Nancy as Mamadou Samassa scored the lone goal in stoppage time of a 1-0 win.

Valenciennes came close to scoring in the first half when Brazilian defender Gil struck the crossbar. The hosts were also denied on a good scoring chance in the second half by a goal line clearance from Nancy's Massadio Haidara.

But in the dying minutes, Samassa claimed all three points for his team when he scored from close range following a scramble in front of goal.

Rennes 1, Sochaux 0

Rennes, France - A first-half goal from Mevlut Erding was enough for Rennes to claim a 1-0 win against last-place Sochaux on Saturday.

Erding's goal arrived after 15 minutes when he headed home Jonathan Pitroipa's cross, while Rennes came close to adding another goal before halftime when a volley from Vincent Pajot struck the crossbar.

Sochaux didn't offer up much in attack but the visitors still had a chance to claim a point in the 89th minute when a shot from Charlie Davies just barely sailed over the crossbar, extending Sochaux's winless streak to nine games.

Brest 1, Dijon 1

Brest, France - Brest snatched a late draw against Dijon on Saturday as Santiago Gentiletti scored three minutes into stoppage time to level the match at 1-1 for Brest.

Dijon's Gael Kakuta scored his first goal of the campaign in the 76th minute to put the visitors in front, while Brest was reduced to 10 men in the 89th minute when Issam Jemaa picked up a second yellow card.

But despite playing a man down, the home side grabbed an unlikely point as Gentiletti scored just before the final whistle to move Brest five points clear of the drop zone.

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Colts give the ‘D’ its due

The Indianapolis Colts know that winning the Super Bowl last season put a huge target on their backs, and they expect opponents to go all-out to knock them from the top of the mountain.

They’ll get their first test from the New Orleans Saints this Thursday night. The defending champs had nothing but good things to say about the New Orleans defense this past week, praising their opponents’ pass rush and run-stopping abilities.

"They play very aggressively," head coach Tony Dungy told the New Orleans Times-Picayune. "They play a lot of man-to-man coverage, and they come after you. They have good pass rushers, and they're going to try to pressure us, I'm sure."

Both center Jeff Saturday and quarterback Peyton Manning gave New Orleans’ front four props, admitting keeping guys like Will Smithand Charles Grant contained would be a tall task for the offensive line.

New Orleans ranked second in total defense during the preseason at a sportsbook, allowing just under 233 yards per game. Last season, the defense finished 11th in the league after giving up 307.3 yards and 20.1 points per contest.

Not so sound on the ground

If Indianapolis' efficient offense has a weakness it has to be its running attack. The Colts one-two-punch of Dominic Rhodes and Joseph Addai is no longer, leaving the bulk of the carries to Addai, the second-year back out of LSU.

Former Saskatchewan Roughrider Kenton Keith was named Addai’s backup this week after beating out DeDe Dorsey for the second-string position. Indy has only three backs on the roster right now, including fullback Luke Lawton, and coach Dungy is aware of the thinness of his ground game. Sports Betting lines on the game can be found at BettingExpress.com

“We’ll continue to look. Luke Lawton’s done a good job for us too. So probably getting a third true tailback is something that we’d like to do,” Dungy told the Indiana Tribune-Star.

Last season, Addai rushed for over 1,000 yards in his rookie campaign and scored seven touchdowns on the ground.

Brees says bring it on

Opening the season on the road against the defending Super Bowl champions is not the way most teams would like to kick off their year – unless you’re the New Orleans Saints or their quarterback Drew Brees. This internet Sportsbooks had the Saints as the favorites.

Brees told the New Orleans Times-Picayune that he is excited to get the regular season started and the Colts are a great challenge for him and his teammates. The 28-year-old QB, entering his second season with the Saints, is expecting a wild environment in the RCA Dome this Thursday when the franchise celebrates its 2007-2007 championship.

Brees said he sees the opening game scheduling as an honor and a testament to how well New Orleans did last season. The Saints missed facing the Colts in the Super Bowl by one game, losing to the Chicago Bearsin the NFC Championship game.

"I mean, people think we can hang with these guys," Brees told reporters. "Even if they didn't, it wouldn't matter what they thought because as a team we're very confident. We know what we can do. We're not satisfied where we finished the season last year. And we've been looking forward to this opportunity for a long time."

SportsBooks ready for a shootout

Oddsmakers are preparing for some fireworks this Thursday when the NFL season kicks off. online Sportsbooks have Thursday’s total set at a whopping 52 points, accounting for two of the league’s most explosive offenses.

“This is like must-see TV,” Saints cornerback and former Colt Jason David told the Baton Rouge Advocate. “It’s two exciting offenses with great players. You’ve got a lot of star power on offense. At any given time a big play can happen. If I was a fan, I wouldn’t miss a snap.”

New Orleans, who ranked No.1 in total offense last season, can go blow-for-blow with the Colts’ attack. Head coach Sean Payton’s offensive schemes will get even better production out of Drew Brees, Reggie Bush and receiver Marques Colston now that they’ve each had a season of playing together under their belts.

The Saints and Colts were the top two passing teams in the NFL last year, but while Indianapolis managed to put up almost 27 points per game, New Orleans struggled to capitalize on their efforts. The Saints ranked fifth in points per game.

“Yards are great,” running backDeuce McAllister told reporters, “but to be able to score more touchdowns would be important for us.”

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