By Ron Wall Apr 30, 2006, 0:43 GMT
Paris - Paris St Germain scored at the beginning of each half to claim a deserved 2-1 win over Marseille in the French Cup final on Saturday.
Bonaventure Kalou, who scored the winner for Auxerre in their Cup triumph last season, opened the score after six minutes and Vikash Dhorasso lashed in a second on 49 minutes.
Toifilou Maoulida pulled one back for Marseille on 67 minutes but Paris could easily have won by two or three goals in lifting its seventh French Cup.
Matches between these two sides usually cause trouble and riot police used CS gas to disperse fighting fans before the match, but there was no trouble inside the 80,000-capacity Stade de France.
Kalou hit the bar in the second half and Edouard Cisse forced Marseille keeper Fabien Barthez to a full-length save before Jerome Rothen curled a free-kick desperately close.
Kalou blasted in an unstoppable shot to open the score after Taye Taiwo first beat Cisse to the ball and then allowed the Parisian midfielder to win the ball back in the tackle. The ball broke free in the penalty area to Kalou, who hit a screamer under the Marseille bar.
Dhorasso, without a goal all season, chose the perfect moment to open his account when he strode forward as the Marseille defence retreated to unleash a 20-metre shot beyond a diving Barthez.
Bernard Mendy saved Paris in the first half when he threw himself in front of Mickael Pagis as he was about to shoot, but Marseille rarely looked like scoring.
Marseille, who have won the Cup 10 times, last picked up a trophy in 1993 when they beat AC Milan in the Champions League Final. They lost UEFA Cup finals in 1999 and 2004.
In a League One championship match Saturday, Lens moved to fourth, two points behind Lille, when they beat their northern neighbours 4-2 in a battle for third place in the league and a place in next season's Champions League.
Champions Lyon will be looking to reach a record 80 points at home to St Etienne in a traditionally fierce derby on Sunday.
Valenciennes, relegated in 1993 after the Marseille match-fixing scandal, returned to the first division by beating Sedan 3-0 on Saturday.
Valenciennes was wound up in 1996 when they dropped out of the league, but have been promoted from two divisions in successive seasons.
Paris and Marseille play again next Wednesday. Marseille have a chance to shake off their Cup woes when they travel to fifth-placed Auxerre, where a win would put Marseille fourth.
Paris are at Rennes who can claim third place with a win.
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