Juninho relief as Lyon keep winning

Juninho Pernambucano scored the winning goal shortly after missing a penalty as Olympique Lyonnais defeated AS Saint-Etienne 2-1 in a thrilling Ligue 1 derby at Stade Gerland on Saturday.

On a roll
The influential playmaker struck the last-minute winner from close range to give the French champions their ninth consecutive victory in all competitions. Lyon had taken the lead in the 65th minute when Portugal midfielder Tiago beat goalkeeper Jérémie Janot from six metres. St Etienne hit back two minutes later through Yohan Hautcoeur as the midfielder's shot from 20 metres was deflected into the net by defender Eric Abidal.

Juninho relief
In a nailbiting finale, Janot saved an 82nd-minute penalty from Juninho after Lamine Diatta was sent off for bringing down Florent Malouda, although the Brazilian would have the final say. He said: "After I missed the penalty, I was very disappointed. It has only happened me once before. I told myself I had to grab another chance to score and I did it."

Six-point lead
Lyon now have a six-point lead over second-placed Olympique Marseille, who play RC Lens on Sunday. Toulouse FC scored three times in the first 30 minutes to defeat Valenciennes 3-0 and climb to fourth. Troubled Paris Saint-Germain FC were also convincing winners, overcoming CS Sedan-Ardennes 4-2 despite the 43rd-minute dismissal of Pierre-Alain Frau, who had opened the scoring in the sixth minute. Mario Yepes and Pauleta (2) were also on target as PSG rose to 12th.

Bordeaux boost
FC Girondins de Bordeaux prepared for Wednesday's UEFA Champions League match against Liverpool FC with a 1-0 home win against struggling AS Monaco FC, Edixon Perea scoring in the 70th minute. Bordeaux are fifth in the standings on 15 points, while FC Nantes Atlantique are propping up the table following today's 2-0 loss to FC Sochaux-Montbéliard.