PARIS — Defending champion Montpellier was held to a 1-1 draw by Saint Etienne Friday, bringing an end to a frustrating week where it had suffered two successive defeats. Beaten 3-1 by promoted Reims seven days ago, and then 2-1 at home to Arsenal in the Champions League Tuesday, Montpellier needed a second-half equalizer from veteran Senegalese international striker Souleymane Camara to salvage a point Friday. In the 69th minute, substitute Marco Estrada released Anthony Mounier down the left flank. His cross was cleared by Jean-Pascal Mignot before Remy Cabella picked up the loose ball to put Camara through for the goal. Saint Etienne had gone ahead in the third minute of injury time at the end of the first half when Gabonese striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang grabbed his fourth goal of the season. Max-Alain Gradel created the opportunity by accelerating away down the left, away from Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa before crossing to the far post where Aubameyang scored into an empty net. Montpellier is 14th in the table with five points, 10 points behind leader Marseille, while Saint Etienne is eighth with seven points. Promoted Frankfurt on top In Berlin, promoted Eintracht Frankfurt climbed three points clear at the top of the Bundesliga with a 2-1 win at Nuremberg Friday to continue its dazzling start to the season. Substitute Erwin Hoffer turned sharply in the area to score a goal reminiscent of the great Gerd Mueller and Takashi Inui added another with a solo effort on the hour to lift Frankfurt above Bayern Munich, which travels to Schalke 04 Saturday. Frankfurt, which last topped the standings in 1999, has made the club's best start to a season with a perfect record. “Twelve points from four games is something that moves us a bit closer to our goal,” said Frankfurt coach Armin Veh. “It is nice to be up there but we know how to look at the situation. There can also be times later on in the season when the situation is completely different.” Confident Frankfurt, having spent one season in the second tier, suffered two early setbacks with striker Olivier Occean and captain Pirmin Schwegler going off injured. Hoffer, who came on four minutes earlier, scored with a fine strike in the 25th minute before Japan's Inui doubled the lead on the hour after a jinking run past three players. Nuremberg substitute Sebastian Polter reduced the deficit in the 76th minute with a header past goalkeeper Kevin Trapp. The hosts twice went close in the final stages but Frankfurt held on to top the table for the first time in 13 years. Champion Borussia Dortmund is in a group of four clubs behind Frankfurt and Bayern on seven points. — Agencies
