St-Étienne stay hot on Nice's heels

AS Saint-Étienne kept pace with fourth-placed OGC Nice by overcoming AS Nancy-Lorraine 3-0 at Stade Marcel Picot.

Nice had triumphed 2-0 against Stade de Reims on Friday night to consolidate fourth spot and close the gap to on the leading three to a single point. The pressure was on fifth-placed St-Étienne to match that result at struggling Nancy, but Les Verts handled it well, and did not look back after Brandão pounced from close range on 17 minutes.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang doubled the advantage before the break with a smart turn and finish. Each team then had a man sent off in the second half – debutant Florent Zitte for Nancy and Fabien Lemoine for the visitors – before Aubameyang hit a late third to move his side a point behind Nice.

Meanwhile, Stade Rennais FC fell three points behind St-Étienne after they required a last-gasp equaliser from Jean Makoun to salvage a 2-2 draw against FC Sochaux-Montbéliard.

A ten-man LOSC Lille earned a third successive win, beating AC Ajaccio 3-1 courtesy of a second-half double by Dimitri Payet, while Montpellier Hérault SC earned a 1-0 win at Évian Thonon Gaillard FC. Both ES Troyes AC v SC Bastia and Valenciennes FC v Toulouse FC ended goalless.