Lyon win, Nantes in relegation trouble after loss to Montpellier
PARIS: Lyon defeated fourth-placed Monaco 3-1 to move within striking distance of the French League spots for Europe on Friday.
Alexandre Lacazete, Maxence Caqueret and Rayan Cherki scored for Lyon ater Wissam Ben Yedder put Monaco ahead by converting a penalty 70 seconds in.
Lyon moved one point behind fith-placed Lille and France’s Europa Conference League playoff spot. Monaco have the Europa League spot.
Changing coach has made no difference yet for Nantes, who stayed in the French league relegation zone ater losing at home to Montpellier 3-0 on Saturday.
Nantes fired Antoine Kombouare with four games remaining and replaced him with the reserves coach. But the side has picked up only one point in two games since.
Nantes fell behind in the 38th minute when
Teji Savanier set up fellow midfielder Jordan Ferri with a long pass.
Striker Arnaud Nordin made it 2-0 in the 47th with an angled drive into the botom let corner.
Defender Falaye Sacko completed the scoring late on to leave eight-time French champion Nantes in 17th place with four teams going down this season and only two rounds remaining.
Meanwhile, Paris Saint-germain captain and Brazil defender Marquinhos has extended his contract until 2028, the club announced on Friday.
“The 29-year-old Brazilian defender and the Red and Blue will continue their adventure together until June 30, 2028,” Qatari-owned PSG said Friday in a statement.
Marquinhos joined the club from Roma in 2013 when he was just 19. He has become an indispensable part of the PSG set-up and was a member of the side that reached the 2020 Champions League final.
“I am very happy to announce this contract extension but also very proud,” said Marquinhos.
“This is a very special moment for me,” he added, saying he was “convinced that we will continue to achieve great things together in the years to come”.
With Lionel Messi on the point of leaving and speculation surrounding the futures of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, the decision of Marquinhos to throw his weight behind PSG has been welcomed by the club.