An early strike by Foued Kadir and a Gregory Pujol brace helped a dominant Valenciennes to a 3-1 victory over Sochaux in Ligue 1 this evening.
The hosts broke the deadlock in the 12th minute courtesy of a right-footed free kick from Kadir after Carlao was penalised for committing a foul.
Kadir turned provider when Valenciennes doubled their lead on 27 minutes, lining up Pujol for the striker to lash home from outside the area.
Sochaux struggled to contain Kadir and Pujol all evening, and the pair combined for the home side's third. The Algerian lined up the striker for his second of the match on the hour mark to give the visitors a mountain to climb.
Eric Hely's side gave themselves a slender lifeline moments later when Jerome Roussillon's cross was headed home by Sebastien Roudet for 3-1, but it proved no more than consolation.
Mark Langshaw
