France: LOSC squander chance

Lille OSC missed the chance to take over at the top of France’s Le Championnat on Sunday as they went down 4-2 at Olympique Lyonnais.

Penalty paid
LOSC had midfielder Sylvain N'Diaye dismissed shortly before half-time for two bookable offences, and paid the penalty when Sidney Govou scored twice for Lyon, who also benefited from a Stéphane Pichot own goal.

Perfect Pedron
RC Lens, who stay top, had Stéphane Pedron to thank for securing a point as they were held to a goalless draw by FC Girondins de Bordeaux. The 30-year-old midfield player cleared a header from Bordeaux’s Christian off his own goalline seven minutes from time.

Loko on target
Former France striker Patrice Loko put his UEFA Cup misery behind him to secure a deserved 1-0 victory for Espérance Sportive Troyes AC over Paris Saint-Germain FC. Loko, whose glaring miss on Thursday enabled Leeds United AFC to progress at his side’s expense in the UEFA Cup, struck in the 65th minute when he met a cross from Gharib Amzine with a firm near-post header.

Jager scores
Elsewhere, Jonathan Jager scored his first league goals of the season as FC Metz ended a run of three straight defeats with a surprise 2-0 win over AJ Auxerre.