Lyon ambush Marseille title push

Olympique Lyonnais will relinquish their Ligue 1 title this year but they could well have determined their successors after triumphing 3-1 at Olympique de Marseille to leave the Mediterranean side three points shy of FC Girondins de Bordeaux.

Benzema double
Bordeaux's 3-2 success against Le Mans UC 72 on Saturday had turned up the pressure on previous leaders Marseille and despite some adventurous forward play they failed to keep pace at the top. Karim Benzema caused most of the damage for seven-time champions Lyon, burying from the spot with 31 minutes gone following a foul on Ederson by Brandão and firing past Steve Mandanda eleven minutes later. Substitute Sylvain Wiltord restored hope among the Stade Vélodrome faithful with a close-range effort against his old side nine minutes from time, but fellow substitute Juninho Pernambucano put paid to any comeback with a trademark free-kick in added time.

Europa League
The win also provided a significant boost to Lyon's aim of securing third place and France's last UEFA Champions League berth. With two games remaining, Claude Puel's men lie four points clear of fourth-placed Paris Saint-Germain FC. In the hunt for UEFA Europa League spots, meanwhile, LOSC Lille Métropole and Stade Rennais FC both missed chances to advance their bids, drawing 1-1 with OGC Nice and FC Nantes respectively, the latter result leaving Les Canaris three points from safety in 19th.