Rap International » place Ajaccio on Saturday.

PARIS -- Defending champion Paris Saint-Germain moved five points clear of Monaco at the top of the French league after coming from behind for a hard-fought 2-1 win at last-place Ajaccio on Saturday. Argentina winger Ezequiel Lavezzi and France midfielder Blaise Matuidi scored, with star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic setting up both despite having a poor game by his high standards. Forward Eduardo gave Ajaccio the lead in the sixth minute after being set up by right winger Benjamin Andre, and the Corsican side looked comfortable in the first half, with the lively Johan Cavalli causing problems with his probing runs from midfield. "We were playing against a team fighting for survival. They created chances but so did we, so I think its a fair result," Matuidi said. "The pitch wasnt easy to play on either, it was very dry. It did bother us a bit. But lets not look for excuses -- the main thing is that we won and that we keep moving forward. "Its good to win and keep that gap. Weve shown that well be there (at the end) and we wont give up." Lille can overtake Monaco and move into second place if it beats Reims at home on Sunday. After striker Edinson Cavani missed two chances, PSG cut through Ajaccios defence easily for the equalizing goal in the 41st. Cavani collected the ball in midfield from Ibrahimovic, turned and passed to Matuidi, whose pass released Ibrahimovic behind the defence and his cross from the right gave Lavezzi a comfortable finish from close range. Ibrahimovic made a sloppy start to the second half, and it was a rare sight to see him casually giving possession away several times, even failing with one easy cross from the left as he let the ball slip away from him. Ajaccio almost regained the lead in the 68th when Cavallis fine pass released Eduardo, and his shot from the right side of the penalty area forced goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu into a low save. Shortly after, coach Laurent Blanc made two changes as he tried to spark some life into his listless team -- taking off centre half Alex and bringing on playmaker Javier Pastore, and replacing Lavezzi with winger Lucas Moura. Blanc switched to a 4-4-2 formation and Cavani moved in from the right to join Ibrahimovic in attack. Moments later, PSG scored after a brilliant piece of skill from Pastore. The Argentine dragged the ball back and turned to hit a swerving pass over the Bastia defence. Ibrahimovic rose at the back post to head the ball down and Matuidi sprinted in to turn the ball past goalie Guillermo Ochoa. "Even though they had a lot of possession, I think we were hanging in there and looked solid, but that goal hurt us," centre half Ricardo Faty said. Eduardo went close in the 83rd when he slid in at the back post, but his shot hit the side-netting, and midfielder Paul Lasne headed wide when well placed after running onto Eduardos cross from the left. Ochoa made a great reflex save with his left foot to deny Cavani in the last minute. Later Saturday, it was: Bordeaux vs. Toulouse; Guingamp vs. Saint-Etienne; Lyon vs. Sochaux; Rennes vs. Nice, and Valenciennes vs. Bastia. In Sundays other games, Marseille goes to Evian and Nantes faces Lorient. Monaco was held to a 1-1 draw at Montpellier on Friday. Shaquille ONeal Magic Jersey . Jamies number grades given are out of five, with five being the best mark. Marc-Andre Fleury, Pittsburgh Penguins (5) – He was locked in all night, made huge stops on Benoit Pouliot, Raphael Diaz, Ryan Mcdonagh, Carl Hagelin, Rick Nash (twice) but none better than the three saves on Mats Zuccarello. Jerian Grant Magic Jersey . As TSN reported Thursday, the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport is under intense pressure from the federal government to focus drug testing on athletes who compete in international events representing Canada. Since funding for the tests has been frozen and the cost of testing can eclipse $1,000 per test, university athletes in a number of sports are being tested less often. http://www.magicauthentic.com/kids-evan-fournier-magic-jersey/ . Toronto ended an 0-4-0 skid with Sundays shootout win over visiting New Jersey, but the club could have a difficult time making it two victories in a row tonight. The Maple Leafs have dropped three straight and 11 of the last 12 regular- season meetings against Boston overall and the Bruins have claimed six straight in Beantown. Timofey Mozgov Magic Jersey . -- Canadas Milos Raonic defeated Edouard Roger-Vasselin of France on Saturday to advance to the third round of the BNP Paribas Open. Melvin Frazier Jersey . THE MICHAEL JORDAN FLU GAME First this famous basketball moment. The story goes like this. “Game 5, known as "The Flu Game", was one of Michael Jordans most memorable.PORTLAND, Ore. -- The 2014 Major League Soccer All-Star game will be against legendary German club Bayern Munich, the reigning European and Bundesliga champions. The All-Star game will be played in August at Jeld-Wen Field, home of the Portland Timbers. The MLS All-Star game has pitted league stars against top-flight foreign clubs for the past 10 years. The match will conclude a weeklong tour of North America, Bayerns first trip to the region in a decade. Also the reigning German Cup champion, Munich is currently ranked atop the Bundesliga and hasnt dropped a league match. The teams itinerary for the tour, apart from the All-Star game, has not been announced. "Becoming the first German club to contest the MLS All-Star Game is an honour," Bayern coach Pep Guardiola said on the clubs official website. "MLS has developed very positively in recent years and were looking forward to taking on the leagues best players." Joerg Wacker, a Munich board member who overseas internationalization strategy for the club, said it is hoped the tour will attract new supporters to the century-old team. Bayern has won a Bundesliga-best 23 league championships and five Champions League titles. "We want to bring our brand, our team and our philosophy to the West and to our fans here," Wacker said. The team last played in the United States in 2005, when they defeated Manchester United on penalties at Chicagos Soldier Field.dddddddddddd Bayern has been aligned for more than 50 years with Adidas, the German shoemaker that has its North American headquarters in Portland. The campus hosted a news conference Thursday to announce Munichs participation. "I knew that Adidas was pushing it and I knew that Bayern was amenable, so I had a pretty good idea," said Timbers owner Merritt Paulson, who campaigned for the All-Star game. Last seasons MLS All-Star game was played in Kansas City against AS Roma, which won 3-1. Next seasons All-Star match was pushed back to Aug. 6 to make it easier on players participating in the 2014 World Cup, said Mark Abbott, president and deputy commissioner of Major League Soccer. The All-Stars will be coached by Caleb Porter, who led the Timbers to a 14-5-15 record this season and a spot in the Western Conference finals. Porter was named the MLS coach of the year. "One of the great stories in Major League Soccer over the last number of years has been the enormous fan passion, civic support and stadium atmosphere in Portland," MLS Commissioner Don Garber said. "We look forward to showcasing this phenomenon to the rest of the world." ' ' '