Ligue 1 champions Bordeaux made hard work of a narrow victory against Monaco with only a goal separating the sides.

Laurent Blanc's side dominated the visitors with barely anything coming from the other direction but only Marc Planus' second-half strike separated the teams in the end.

A dull opening saw both sides fail to create anything of note in the first half an hour.

In the 31st minute the game sparked into life, however. Bordeaux creative fulcrum Yoann Gourcuff played a typically incisive ball to the near post for winger Wendel to meet with a half-volley which Stephane Ruffier had to be at his best to save.

Five minutes later Wendel hammered a free-kick over the bar from around 30 yards.

The one-way traffic continued and three minutes before the break Jaroslav Plasil had a good chance, but he could not find the net with his header from Benoit Tremoulinas' left-wing cross.

Plasil tried his luck again soon after the second half got under way but Monaco defender Sebastien Puygrenier made an excellent block to deny what looked likely to be a goal. Appeals for handball by the home players were dismissed by the officials.

In the 61st minute the champions made the breakthrough. The lively Wendel sent a free-kick in from the right which Ruffier could only parry meekly. Planus seized the opportunity to slam home the rebound.

Wender had a chance in the 70th minute after teaming up with Fernando Cavenaghi but he fired over wastefully.

Cavenaghi should have wrapped it up nine minutes from the time when Marouane Chamakh played him through for a one-on-one with Ruffier, only for the Argentinian to see his shot saved well.

In the 88th minute Cavenaghi dummied Plasil's cross to leave it for Jussie, who was denied by the brilliant Ruffier again.