Marseille beat Toulouse ‘2-0’

PARIS, Oct 19, (AP): Striker AndrePierre Gignac scored his 10th league goal in as many games as league leader Marseille beat Toulouse 2-0 on Sunday to secure an eighth straight win and stay seven points ahead of bitter rival Paris Saint-Germain and Bordeaux.

After center half Nicolas Nkoulou put Marseille ahead in the 21st minute with an effort that appeared to come off the top of his shoulder, Gignac made it 11 in 11 for club and country when he finished off a fine one-touch passing move in the 36th.

Gignac, who struggled with weight problems when he joined Marseille four years ago, is thriving under new coach Marcelo Bielsa’s strict, disciplinarian approach.

“We worked ferociously hard for four days during the week and the efforts paid off,” said Gignac, who says he is five kilograms lighter than he was last season, when Marseille was regularly jeered by its home fans and finished in sixth place ‚Äî a massive 29 points behind champion PSG.

“Everyone knows that last year we suffered and so we’re savoring things this season,” Gignac said. “Everything’s in place for us to have a good season, we’re sticking together, the team’s playing well. But we musn’t get carried away.”

Bordeaux missed the chance to leapfrog PSG and move into outright second place when it drew 1-1 at home to lowly Caen.

Mali forward Cheick Diabate put Bordeaux ahead from the penalty spot midway through the first half, but striker Herve Bazile equalized in the 77th.

Marseille has 25 points after 10 rounds, with PSG leading Bordeaux on goal difference.

Lyon, meanwhile, looked to make it six games unbeaten when it hosted Montpellier later.

The Argentine coach Bielsa has transformed the club, which equaled its record for successive wins in front of 62,000 fans at Stade Velodrome — also setting a new club record for the highest attendance at home.