After 10 goals in three games, new coach Paulo Fonseca’s pledge to bring attacking soccer back to Lyon is holding firm.<\/p>\n
Sunday’s 4-1 win at Montpellier in Ligue 1 saw four different Lyon players on target for the second straight game, The Associated Press reported.
\nAfter being involved in all four Lyon goals against Reims last weekend, Rayan Cherki took only three minutes to set up Georgia’s Georges Mikautadze for the opener.
\nForward Tanguy Coulibaly equalized for last-placed Montpellier shortly before halftime, but Lyon pulled away early in the second half. Ernest Nuamah scored and three minutes later set up rejuvenated midfielder Corentin Tolisso, who has netted in every game under Fonseca.
\nUnder previous coach Pierre Sage, the team was looking laborious and had scored only five goals in six games without a win before he was fired.
\nVeteran striker Alexandre Lacazette completed the rout in the 73rd minute for Lyon, which stayed in sixth place because Lille won 2-0 at Rennes in Sunday’s late game to retain fifth spot.
\nThe race for third place promises to be intense, with Nice reclaiming it from Riviera rival Monaco on goal difference after winning 3-1 at lowly Le Havre.
\nBoth Nice and Monaco have 40 points and trail second-place Marseille by six points.
\nStriker Ga\u00ebtan Laborde sent Nice ahead in the 16th minute and an own-goal from \u00c9tienne Yout\u00e9 two minutes later put Nice in control. Yassine Kechta pulled a goal back soon after but Sofiane Diop made it 3-1 in stoppage time.
\nCoach Liam Rosenior’s Strasbourg won 2-0 at Lens to leapfrog the northern side \u2014 also on goal difference \u2014 and move into seventh place, with Dutch striker Emanuel Emegha grabbing his 10th goal of the season.
\nAlgerian winger Farid El Melali scored the only goal as Angers won 1-0 at Reims. The two sides meet again in the French Cup quarterfinals on Feb. 25.
\nBentaleb’s poignant goal After poking in Lille’s opening goal from close range following a corner, Nabil Bentaleb sprinted to the bench and was hugged by everyone there.
\nWith good reason.
\nThe Algeria midfielder only started training again last month after suffering a cardiorespiratory arrest in mid-June last year. He was put into an artificial coma and fitted with a pacemaker-defibrillator days later.
\nLille’s top scorer Jonathan David was rested for this game and his replacement penalty-taker missed from the spot. Chuba Akpom’s effort in the 44th was saved by goalkeeper Brice Samba.
\nThe English striker then had a goal disallowed midway through the second half for an offside. But Akpom’s perseverance led to a red card for defender Christopher Wooh, who fouled him in the 75th, and the sending off opened up the game for the visitors.
\nThe former Tottenham and Schalke midfielder Bentaleb scored five minutes later \u2014 prompting a big smile from Lille coach Bruno Genesio \u2014 and Akpom was played in by Mitchel Bakker six minutes later against 13th-placed Rennes.
\nAfter the final whistle, Lille’s players urged Bentaleb to go toward the traveling supporters, who applauded him.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s incredible. These images will remain engraved for life,\u201d Bentaleb told match broadcaster DAZN. \u201cThere are things that are not forgotten and that I will not forget when I stop playing football.\u201d
\nRunaway leader PSG scraped a 1-0 win at Toulouse on Saturday to stay 10 points clear of free-scoring Marseille in second position.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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