Lyon’s title hopes appear over with 3-0 defeat at Caen

Lyon's hopes of winning the French league appeared over yesterday after slumping to a 3-0 loss at Caen that left the seven-time champions six points behind leader Paris Saint-Germain with only two games left.

Lyon's first defeat in six matches — and its heaviest since November — paves the way for PSG's third consecutive title.

PSG, which also has a superior goal difference of 45 versus 38 for Lyon, thrashed Guingamp 6-0 on Friday and will wrap up the title next weekend if it man- ages a draw at Montpellier.

Second-place Lyon, which failed to secure automatic qualification for Champions League football next season, crumbled under pressure and conceded two goals in three minutes before halftime.

Nicolas Benezet opened the scoring in the 41st minute with a shot between goalkeeper Anthony Lopes' legs before doubling his tally with a solo effort. Sloan Privat sealed the hosts' win on the break five minutes from time.

The match started at a slow pace with neither side able to hold possession or exploit defenses despite a couple of lapses from defender Bakary Kone within the first 10 minutes.

Without the suspended Christophe Jallet and the injured Clinton Njie, Lyon failed to develop its trademark attacking football and was denied its rare chances by 'keeper Remy Vercoutre, who put in an outstanding performance against his former club.