Rennes extends lead despite 0-0 draw at Lens

Posted Monday, October 18, 2010 by YAHOO Sport

PARIS (AP)—French league leader Rennes drew 0-0 away at struggling Lens but extended its lead to two points after second-place Saint-Etienne lost 2-1 at Nice on Sunday.

Rennes finished the match with 10 men after Tongo Doumbia was shown a straight red card in the 84th.

After a dull first half, Rennes showed more attacking intent after the break. Jires Kembo-Ekoko should have put Rennes ahead in the 49th when he went clean through, but goalkeeper Vedran Runje spread himself well to foil him.

Lens striker Toifilou Maoulida headed over from close range midway through the second half.

Rennes is still unbeaten and has 19 points from nine matches, Saint-Etienne has 17 and Paris Saint-Germain is third with 15 points.

Lisandro Lopez scored a brace and Yoann Gourcuff added another goal to give Lyon a much-needed 3-1 win over Lille as the seven-time champions ended the northern club’s undefeated run in the league.

Lyon claimed only its third win to ease the pressure on coach Claude Puel after fans called for his resignation over the last weeks while president Jean-Michel Aulas gave him minimal support.

Lopez, who has reportedly fallen out with Puel and was criticized for putting on too much weight during the offseason, made the most of Emerson’s poor defending to open Lyon’s account in the third minute with a left-footed strike from 20 meters which wrongfooted goalkeeper Mickael Landreau.

France midfielder Jeremy Toulalan didn’t look bothered at all by a right foot injury when he juggled the ball several times in front of the box and unleashed a powerful volley against the right post in the 13th minute.

Lyon doubled their lead in the 41st minute after Lille defender Adil Rami failed to clear a cross and put the ball in Gourcuff’s path, with the France playmaker coolly slotting home with a right-footed strike from close range for his first goal this season.

Striker Moussa Sow pulled one back in the 52nd with an acrobatic volley five minutes before Lopez scored from the spot after Florent Balmont brought down Kim Kallstrom in the box.

Lyon played 20 minutes with 10 men after midfielder Jeremy Pied was sent off for a second yellow card.

After experiencing its worst start to the season since the 1995-96 season, Lyon moved up to 14th overall with 11 points while Lille moved down to sixth with 14 points.

Saint-Etienne took an 11th-minute lead through France winger Dimitri Payet’s eighth league goal of the season, but Nice took control after Saint-Etienne forward Gonzalo Bergessio was sent off midway through the first half for fouling Eric Mouloungui.

Winger Anthony Mounier equalized for Nice in the 47th and substitute Chaouki Ben Saada scored the winner in the 67th.

Payet burst into the penalty area after a strong run and was fouled by Nemanja Pejcinovic.

Payet sent the penalty into the left corner and almost scored again in the 35th when he headed Laurent Batlles’ cross onto the post with goalkeeper David Ospina beaten.

Nice equalized with a fine goal when striker Danijel Ljuboja clipped a pass to Mounier on the left of the penalty area. Mounier hit a powerful shot past goalkeeper Jeremie Janot.

Moments after Ljuboja missed a great chance for Nice, Janot was helpless to keep out Ben Saada’s deflected strike after defender Albin Ebondo failed to clear the ball properly.

Saint-Etienne coach Christophe Galtier scoffed at the referee and his two linesmen, saying Bergessio should not have been sent off.

“I think they ate sea food yesterday and they have been food poisoned,” Galtier said. “They were out of form but those things happen.”

Lorient rallied from a goal down to beat Valenciennes 2-1 with goals from Kevin Gameiro and Sigamary Diarra. Gael Danic gave Valenciennes the lead in the fourth minute.

Danic caught Lorient by surprise when he hit a powerful shot from nearly 40 yards that went over the head of goalkeeper Fabien Audard.

Gameiro equalized from the penalty spot in the 13th, sending goalkeeper Nicolas Penneteau the wrong way, and Diarra curled the winning goal past Penneteau from just inside the penalty area in the 25th.

In Saturday’s games, it was: Auxerre 0, Bordeaux 1; Brest 0, Arles 0; Caen 0, Monaco 0; Montpellier 2, Sochaux 0; Marseille 1, Nancy 0; and Toulouse 0, Paris Saint-Germain 2.