The freezing conditions played havoc in Ligue 1 as Le Mans v Lille, Nancy v Nice and Valenciennes v Caen all had to be postponed, but six games survived the frost.
Despite the sub-zero temperatures at the Stade de l'Abbe-Deschamps, Auxerre took on Marseille, live on Setanta.
Marseille, looking to keep the pressure on at the top of the table, won the game 2-0, taking the lead two minutes before half-time when Mamadou Samassa headed home a Boudewijn Zenden cross.
In the second half, Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda pulled off a string of superb saves to deny Auxerre as the visitors started to show signs of defensive vulnerability.
But Mathieu Valbuena sealed the points in the 77th minute as Laurent Bonnart’s cross found him in plenty of space, leaving him with a simple finish.
Auxerre continued to battle, nearly pulling a goal back after Mandanda rushed out of goal and then hitting the inside of the post, but to no avail.
The result proved even more valuable as league leaders Lyon were held to a 1-1 draw by Lorient at Stade Gerland.
Lyon – whose results had been less than convincing in recent weeks – took the lead in the ninth minute when Ederson fired into the bottom corner.
But Lorient hit back just before half time through Fabrice Abriel.
Rennes also kept the pressure on, moving to just two points behind the champions as they beat Grenoble 1-0.
Young Senegal striker Moussa Sow fired into the top corner from outside the area immediately after the restart, and, while Grenoble battled back and hit the bar in the 89th minute, Rennes held on for an important victory.
Toulouse ran out 1-0 winners over nine-man Le Havre at Stade Jules Deschaseaux.
Rock-bottom Le Havre made life difficult for themselves when midfielder Jamel Ait Ben Idir picked up his second booking after only 21 minutes.
And they were down to nine men when defender Florian Marange, too, picked up a second booking after an hour.
Frederic Hantz’s men, who had gone into the game on the back of four straight defeats, managed to hold out for 80 minutes of the game, but they were eventually beaten when Etienne Didot fired home.
In a relegation six-pointer at Stade Auguste-Bonal, Sochaux beat St Etienne 1-0.
Damen Perquis headed home a Michael Isabey cross from close range in the 65th minute to give his side all three points.
A bad night was made worse for St Etienne as Moustapha Bayal Sall was shown a red card deep into injury time for deliberate handball.
Nantes moved level with Monaco in the bottom half of the table as they beat them 2-1 at Stade Louis II.
Mali striker Mamadou Bagayoko put them a goal up after only five minutes, and he turned provider in the 40th minute as Aurelien Capoue fired home for 2-0.
However, Bagayoko’s evening took a turn for the worse 14 minutes from time when he was shown a straight red card for foul and abusive language.
The ten men endured a nervy finish as Alexandre Licata pulled a goal back in the 86th minute, but they held on for a valuable three points.