Wiltord leads Lyon's title challenge

By Chris Burke

Olympique Lyonnais kept up their steady pursuit of a fourth consecutive Ligue 1 title thanks to Sylvain Wiltord's strike in a 1-0 win away to RC Strasbourg on Saturday evening, while Toulouse FC drew 0-0 with FC Sochaux-Montbéliard in the race for a UEFA Cup place.

Cassard saves
Strasbourg had kept three straight clean sheets before the Ligue 1 leaders came to town and, with goalkeeper Stéphane Cassard in top form, they looked like extending that run. The 32-year-old made a superb double save from former Arsenal FC ace Wiltord and launched himself spectacularly to keep out Florent Malouda and Sidney Govou in the first-half.

Wiltord winner
Just as Strasbourg appeared to have weathered the storm after the break, though, Wiltord rifled past Cassard in the 59th minute to consign them to only their first home defeat since October. The Alsace side remain dangerously close to the drop zone in 16th spot, while Lyon moved eleven points clear of second-placed Olympique de Marseille, who travel to AS Monaco FC on Sunday.

Toulouse domination
Sixth faced seventh when Toulouse welcomed Sochaux, but despite chances for both sides, neither could record the win that would have taken them closer to the fourth spot and the promise of European competition next term. Instead, Sochaux are now just one point ahead of RC Lens, who jumped ahead of FC Girondins de Bordeaux after beating them 2-0 with goals from Olivier Thomert and John Utaka.

Bastia relief
In the other half of the table, Anthier Yahia's last-gasp header gave SC Bastia a much-needed 1-0 victory over FC Metz. The Corsican side are now a single point from safety, as 17th-placed SM Caen were held 2-2 by visitors Stade Rennais FC, for whom Alexander Frei scored his 14th goal of the season. Bottom-club FC Istres kept their survival hopes alive with a 1-1 stalemate at home to OGC Nice, and fellow strugglers AC Ajaccio drew FC Nantes Atlantique 0-0.

Lille test
In Sunday's games, third-placed LOSC Lille Métropole will be looking to punish any slip-up from Marseille when they visit AS Saint-Etienne, while UEFA Cup quarter-finalists AJ Auxerre take on Paris Saint-Germain FC in the capital.