PSG hold on to beat Auxerre

Under-pressure Paris Saint--Germain manager Antoine Kombouare endured a nervy night but saw his side emerge victorious from an entertaining clash with struggling Auxerre. Having lost three consecutive matches in all competitions and slipped to second in the Ligue 1 table, Kombouare's position had been placed in some doubt but goals from Christophe Jallet, Jeremy Menez and Nene earned the club a 3-2 victory and a vital three points at the Parc de Princes. Dennis Oliech had equalised Jallet's 52nd-minute opener before PSG went 3-1 up only for a tense finish courtesy of Dariusz Dudka's 87th-minute effort. Oliech struck the first chance of the game over the bar in the eighth minute, while PSG had a penalty claim turned away after Nene's free-kick appeared to strike Jeremy Berthod's hand. Neither goalkeeper was in much danger for the remainder of the half, Salvatore Sirigu's low save from Alain Traore the only real exception. The hosts needed to do much better going forward in the second period and immediately fashioned two big chances. Javier Pastore spurned the first with only Olivier Sorin to beat, then Menez played in Nene, who somehow contrived to strike the upright with a clear chance at the far post. The opener did come in the 52nd minute, Nene, Kevin Gameiro and Menez all involved in the build-up and Jallet with the finish. It took only seven minutes for Auxerre to restore parity, Oliech's run and shot rebounding back into his path for a simple finish after Sirigu's initial save. Kombouare's men were back in the lead after 76 minutes, though, as the lively Nene was again involved on the left wing before Menez converted his cross with the inside of his right boot. Stephane Grichting's foul on Nene with nine minutes remaining allowed the Brazilian to claim a deserved goal from the penalty spot and PSG ended up needing that two-goal buffer. With 87 minutes on the clock, Auxerre made it 3-2 when Dudka lashed home a free-kick from the edge of the area.