Lyon showed why they are looking to advance to the top of the French league with a 4-1 win over Nice on Saturday and a 13-match unbeaten run. The agile strikes of Memphis DePay, Tino Cadeware and Carl Toko Ecambi proved to be too much for Nice as Lynn was one point ahead of Lille and two clearly ahead of Paris Saint-Germain ahead of their meeting on Sunday.
DePaye put Leiden ahead in the 31st minute with a Priyanka-style cool front. Depp’s spot kick to goalkeeper Walter Benitez made the wrong foot.
Seven minutes later, Kadeware made it 2-0 when he blocked a bad pass on defense and completed with confidence. But then Amina Gauri pulled back a goal before taking a break against her former club and overtook midfielder Ronnie Lopez.
DePaye’s brilliant pass gave Cadaver the upper hand and he unselfishly set up Toko Ekambi 3-1 in the 62nd over. Toko Ekambi made another attempt for offside before attacking midfielder Hossem Aur before Leo Dubois completed the score in the 72nd from a right-handed cross.
After losing to Reynolds at midweek, fourth-placed Marseille dropped more points as they struggled to make it 1-1 at home to Reims.
The visitors took the lead 20 minutes later when a cross from the left of Kosovo midfielder Arber Zenelli was converted by Marseille defender Yuto Nagatomo.
Reims goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic made two good saves from striker Dario Benedetto, but winger Florian Thowin equalized on a half-time stroke when he came close to heading for Benedetto.
Marseille failed to put much pressure on him after that, to the disappointment of Thowin.
“Whether we’re just passing or going backwards, we never take any risks,” he said. “There’s not enough mobility, a lot of things aren’t working.”
In the second game, Metz beat Lens 2-0 at home to reach eighth place.
Striker Opa Nguet gave the Metz the lead and Farid Bulea, who was involved in the goal, made it safe with a deep effort from the injury time. Metz is improving rapidly under senior coach Frederic Antonetti, who is in his second spell with the club.
PSG traveled to play Lilly without Neymar, who was recovering from a late ankle injury following last Sunday’s 1-0 home defeat to Lyon.
