Rennes stay top with Reims draw, Lille thump Strasbourg

RENNES: Rennes clung on to top place in Ligue 1 on Sunday ater being held to a 2-2 draw at home by lowly Reims who picked up only their second point of the season.

Rennes, still unbeaten ater six games, were joined on 14 points by Lille, who earlier won 3-0 at Strasbourg, but stayed top on goals scored. Both teams have four wins and two draws and a goal difference of seven. Champions Paris St Germain are fourth with 12 points.

Reims took the lead against the run of play in the 11th minute when Yunis Abdelhamid was allowed a free header at a corner.

Raphinha replied in the 24th minute ater exchanging passes with Serhou Guirassy and the Brazilian winger also set up the second with a corner which captain Damien Da Silva headed in at the far post in the 37th minute. But Reims, one place off the botom, were not finished and levelled through Boulaye Dia in the 66th minute ater he held off challenges from two players. Rennes were denied a win when Steven Nzonzi hit the post in the 90th minute. Zeki Celik, with a 30-metre strike, Renato Sanches and Burak Yilmaz were on target as Lille dispatched struggling Strasbourg.

In other games, an eighth-minute goal from Romain Faivre gave Brest a surprise 1-0 home win over AS Monaco while Girondins Bordeaux notched their first home victory since December by beating Dijon 3-0.

Earlier, former Chelsea midfielder Gael Kakuta scored a penalty as promoted Lens moved to second in Ligue 1 with Saturday’s 2-0 win over nine-man Saint-etienne.

Kakuta converted the spot kick early on at Stade Bollert-delelis ater Timothee Kolodziejczak’s trip on forward Ignatius Ganago inside the box.

Florian Sotoca made sure of all three points which send the northern oufit a place off top spot on goal difference in the final 10 minutes ater Wahbi Khazri’s red card just ater the hour mark.

Later on Saturday, Patrick Vieira’s Nice, the only side to beat Lens this term, claimed three points for the first time since the opening day of the season, overcoming Nantes 2-1 on the Mediterannean coast.

Brazilian defender Dante and Dephren ThuramUlien, the son of France World Cup winner Lilian, scored for the hosts ater Andrei Giroto was sent for an early shower ater a third-minute tackle on Hassane Kamara.