Marseille furious with linesman

Marseille lose more ground on the leaders Lyon in Ligue 1 after another controversial refereeing decision costs them two points at Le Mans.

Marseille lost more ground on the leaders Lyon in Ligue 1 after another controversial refereeing decision cost them two points at Le Mans. With the game at 1-1, the substitute Mamadou Samassa thought he had won the match for Marseille with a header from a corner, but the referee ruled that the ball had not crossed the line. This sparked a furious reaction from Samassa and teammate Boudewijn Zenden, who both rushed over to remonstrate with the linesman.

"I definitely think it was in, but you can't tell without seeing the replay," Samassa said. "Even though it is two points dropped, I think we are on the right track because we played well." The Marseille president Pape Diouf said the goal should have stood, and that this type of error has already been made against his team this season. "We had this against Bordeaux and again here, so it's starting to get enough," Diouf said. "It cost us a victory. When you count the points at the end of the season, it's another two points gone."

Birthday boy Anthony Mounier turned 21 in style by setting up two goals to help Lyon beat Nancy 2-1 and pull six points clear at the top of the league. Mounier, who has played only a handful of matches for the first team, created the goals for Karim Benzema and Fred. The striker, who was developed at the club and played in the youth teams with Benzema for years, heard the fans chant his name after a spectacular performance.

"There are a lot of talented players in our squad and when I get a chance to play, I try to make the most of it," he said. * With agencies