PARIS (AFP) - Lyon dominated struggling Monaco from beginning to end on Sunday (Dec 16) to climb back into the Ligue 1 top three and bury Thierry Henry's side deeper in the relegation zone.
Lyon kept pace with Lille, who won 3-2 at Nimes earlier despite playing much of the match with 10 men.
Lille are three points ahead of Lyon, who have a game in hand, and five ahead of Montpellier, who did not play for a second consecutive week, and have played two fewer matches.
The French title race is all but over with reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain 10 points clear, but a young Lille side are eyeing a return to the Champions League group stage for the first time since 2012, while Lyon, who squeaked into the last 16 in Europe in midweek, are seeking to ensure they will be back next year.
"This match was one of our most dominant performances in the league," said Lyon coach Bruno Genesio. "Even with superiority, we continued to play simply, to work for each other." Lyon took the lead in only the sixth minute with a goal by Houssem Aouar, his sixth of the season.
Nabil Fekir added the second in the 34th minute. Kenny Tete shrugged off a timid challenge to pull back a low cross which Fekir attacked while Monaco's Jemerson hesitated.
Monaco managed only one shot all game. They played almost the whole second half with 10 men after Aleksandr Golovin raked his studs down the back of Fekir's calf in the 47th minute and was sent off.
Ferland Mendy added a deserved third for Lyon just before the hour mark.
"The match in Kiev on Wednesday made us realise that we had a strong group," said Genesio. "And that we had to stop the childish attitudes that we have seen on some matches."
Monaco, the only team in the bottom half of the French league table to play this weekend, meekly wasted a chance to gain ground on their rivals.
"We have to look at the first goal we conceded and especially the second goal which summed up this game," Henry said. "Winning without desire is hard.
"We have to try to put this game behind us, we have a big game against Guingamp next week."
Earlier, in-form striker Nicolas Pepe scored what proved to be the winner as 10-man Lille won at Nimes.
"What a match, I'm really proud of my players," said Lille coach Christophe Galtier. "We must not forget that we played for more than an hour and 20 minutes with 10 men.
"With the added time, it was a very long and hard match physically." Portuguese teenager Rafael Leao headed Lille into a fourth-minute lead, but Galtier's men suffered a setback when former Southampton centre-back Jose Fonte was sent off in the 16th minute.
Jonathan Bamba's deflected effort doubled the advantage shortly before the interval, though, and Pepe appeared to have made the points safe midway through the second half with his 12th goal of the campaign.
"After the PSG strikers, Pepe and Bamba are the best," said Nimes coach Bernard Blaquart.
The 10 men finally started to tire late on, but Lille held on for victory despite Nimes goals from Rachid Alioui and Clement Depres.
Super-sub Andre Gray sends Watford into FA Cup semis Gray has scored the winner as a substitute three times in recent weeks FIFA backs 48-team World Cup in 2022 MIAMI: MIAMI: FIFA moved a step
Premier League round-up: Manchester United into top four with 3-0 win at Fulham Manchester United rolled confidently to their 10th win in 11 games under caretaker boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with a 3-0 win at Fulham on Saturday.
Match Preview - Fulham vs Man Utd | 09 Feb 2019
Football: Ole Gunnar Solskjaer gives stars 'licence to express', says Dwight Yorke The key to the Red Devils' surge in form has been the caretaker's perceptive man-management skills, said former
Ole gives stars 'licence to express', says Yorke, Football
Sharjah 24 - Reuters: Fabio Quagliarella became Italy's oldest goalscorer as his double helped Roberto Mancini's rejuvenated side thrash 10-man Liechtenstein 6-0 in their second Euro 2020 qualifier on Tuesday.
Soccer: Veteran Quagliarella helps rejuvenated Italy thrash
Football: Singapore fall short in bid to qualify for AFC U-23
A host of big-name footballers are behind a campaign to raise money for a private search for missing footballer Emiliano Sala. The campaign has raised £130,000 from almost 2,000 people in just a
New search begins for missing footballer Emiliano Sala
Ikhsan Fandi scored a winning overhead kick in the last minute of play to secure a 3-2 win for his team, Raufoss IL, on Sunday night, May 12, in Oslo, Norway. Five Raufoss IL players crammed into
Killer of 77 goes on trial in Norway - news.yahoo.com
Former Barcelona star Paulinho edged two-time winners Guangzhou Evergrande into the AFC Champions League last 16 Wednesday, while title-holders Kashima Antlers had to come from a goal behind to
Supersub Smyth stars as Northern Ireland stun South Korea
Kane's VAR penalty gives Tottenham edge over Chelsea Tottenham Hotspur gained a slender advantage in their League Cup semi-final against London rivals Chelsea as Harry Kane's penalty earned them a gritty 1-0 first-leg win at Wembley on Tuesday.
Kane gives Spurs edge over Chelsea in League Cup
Abu Dhabi - Iran coach Carlos Queiroz said Friday that he was "honoured" to be courted by Colombia, who want the former Real Madrid boss to join them after the Asian Cup. But the Portuguese, who
Reports: Carlos Queiroz steps down as Iran manager after AFC
(Reuters) - ARSENAL 2 CRYSTAL PALACE 3. Crystal Palace put a dent in Arsenal's Champions League qualification hopes after strikers Christian Benteke and Wilfried Zaha made the most of defensive errors in a 3-2 win at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
Palace punish sloppy Arsenal in 3-2 win at the Emirates
He told Sky Sports, having seen the Red Devils grind out a 0-0 draw at Liverpool in their last trip to a fellow title hopeful: "Manchester United's trip to Chelsea on is a huge game for the
Ramahlwe Mphahlele: Nigeria match a must-win for Bafana Bafana
0 comments:
Post a Comment