Sports

Lyon boosts top-three ambitions

April 21, 2018
Lyon’s midfielder Nabil Fekir (R) vies with Dijon’s Romain Amalfitano during their French L1 football match at the Gaston Gérard Stadium in Dijon, central France, Friday. — AFP
Lyon’s midfielder Nabil Fekir (R) vies with Dijon’s Romain Amalfitano during their French L1 football match at the Gaston Gérard Stadium in Dijon, central France, Friday. — AFP

DIJON — Olympique Lyonnais boosted its hopes of playing Champions League football next season after a 5-2 win at Dijon in an entertaining Ligue 1 match Friday.

The victory left Lyon third on 69 points from 34 matches, one behind second-placed Monaco and three ahead of fourth-placed Olympique Marseille, who both have a game in hand.

With the top two gaining automatic Champions League berths and the third-placed team entering the qualifying rounds, Marseille will now be under even more pressure to beat Lille at home Saturday.

Dijon goalkeeper Baptiste Reynet stood out for the home side despite conceding an avalanche of goals in a rip-roaring contest, as he produced a string of superb saves.

Memphis Depay fired Lyon ahead in the fifth minute when he steered in a cross by fellow ex-Manchester United player Rafael da Silva before Naim Sliti equalized against the run of play with a fine low shot from 25 meters.

Reynet kept his team afloat in the first half but was powerless at the start of the second when a Valentin Rosier own goal and a Nabil Fekir solo effort in quick succession gave Lyon a 3-1 lead.

Sliti struck again in the 55th minute with a bouncing volley to revive Dijon’s hopes of a comeback but they were extinguished in the closing stages by the classy visitors.

Striker Bertrand Traore made it 4-2 with a neat side-footed finish from 15 meters and substitute Maxwel Cornet drilled in a loose ball from inside the penalty box in the 81st minute.

In the day’s other match, 10-man Nantes was held to a 1-1 home draw by fifth-placed Rennes, whose Europa League hopes were boosted by a late equalizer.

Adrien Thomasson put Nantes ahead just before halftime but Claudio Ranieri’s side had Emiliano Sala sent off soon after the break and paid a late price when James Lea Siliki’s 81st minute shot deflected off Nicolas Pallois into the net.

Another standout weekend fixture Sunday sees Bordeaux hosts champion Paris St Germain, which sealed the title last week with a 7-1 home rout of Monaco.

Fulham’s hopes alive

Fulham’s relentless bid to reach the Premier League gathered more momentum Friday as a rousing second-half performance earned it a 3-0 win at Millwall to thrust it into second place in the Championship.

After being largely outplayed in the first half, a rejuvenated Fulham emerged to score within a minute of the restart through its outstanding 17-year-old prospect Ryan Sessegnon.

Ten minutes later, midfielder Kevin McDonald hammered home a fine speculative shot from 25 meters and Aleksandar Mitrovic finished the job with a clinically-taken third in the 89th minute.

It sealed another accomplished victory for Fulham, which has now won 17 of its last 22 league matches in an extraordinary unbeaten sequence.

Gladbach boost European hopes

Borussia Moenchengladbach cruised past struggling VfL Wolfsburg 3-0 Friday to revive its hopes of European football next season and leave the Wolves deep in relegation trouble with three matches remaining.

Gladbach needed only one half to wrap up just its second win in seven matches with goals from Lars Stindl and Raffael before Christoph Kramer struck the decisive third just before the break with a quickly-taken free kick.

The hosts moved up to 43 points in eighth place, three off the sixth place that leads to the Europa League.

Wolfsburg, champion in 2009, remains in 14th on 30, the same as Mainz 05 in 15th and Freiburg in 16th, the relegation playoff spot. — Agencies


April 21, 2018
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