Baros strikes as Lyon march on
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Article summary
Milan Baroš set the ball rolling for Olympique Lyonnais with a 36th-minute goal as the French champions defeated AS Nancy-Lorraine to move 16 points clear.
Article body
Lead stretched
After two matches without victory Lyon got back on form at lowly Nancy with goals from Milan Baroš, Kim Källström and Fred making sure of the win as Lyon moved 16 points clear at the top. In Le Mans, Ismaël Bangoura surprised Lille by giving the home side a 69th-minute lead, which was doubled by Grafite's injury-time strike. The defeat means Lille remain six points adrift of second-placed RC Lens, who can widen the gap further with a win at AJ Auxerre on Sunday.
Grax double
Earlier in the day, striker Sébastien Grax scored twice and set up another to help FC Sochaux-Montbéliard beat Toulouse FC 4-2 and move up to fifth. Grax volleyed home a cross from Mickaël Isabey to put the hosts in front on 21 minutes before midfielder Jérôme Leroy made it 2-0 just after the half-hour. Grax scored his second ten minutes into the second half before setting up Isabey for the fourth. Fode Mansare and Achille Emana hit back late on for Toulouse, but their goals came too late to salvage a point. Toulouse slip from fourth to sixth, while FC Girondins de Bordeaux moved into third despite drawing 1-1 with bottom club CS Sedan-Ardennes.
Marseille success
Olympique de Marseilles won for the first time in eight attempts, 3-0 against OGC Nice. All the goals came in the first half with Renato Civelli's 15th-minute strike sandwiched between two fine efforts from Mamadou Nyang, which breathed new life into Albert Emon’s bid for European football next season. Marseille remain level on points with AS Saint-Etienne, who won 3-1 against struggling ES Troyes Aube Champagne, a result that leaves Troyes just a point above the relegation places. FC Nantes Atlantique's five-match unbeaten run ended with 2-1 defeat at AS Monaco FC while Valenciennes FC and Lorient FC shared a 0-0 draw.