Seven-time champions Olympique Lyonnais thrashed En Avant de Guingamp 5-1 to move back to third place, while Olympique de Marseille’s poor home form continued as struggling Toulouse secured a 1-1 draw at the Stade Velodrome on Sunday in Ligue 1.
A week after Lyon ended leaders Paris Saint-Germain’s 36-match unbeaten run in the league, France striker Alexandre Lacazette confirmed his return to the form that made him the league’s top scorer last season with a brace.
Rachid Ghezzal and Maxwell Cornet also scored and an own-goal from Reynald Lemaitre completed the rout.
Photo: Reuters
Mevlut Erding scored for Guingamp after Ghezzal’s opener.
Lyon, who struggled with consistency earlier this season, but have found the right balance since coach Bruno Genesio’s appointment during the Christmas break, are now trailing second-placed AS Monaco by six points. Runaway leaders PSG have a 23-point lead.
Marseille have yet to find the spark that Genesio brought to Lyon. They have failed to win at home in the league since September last year — a run of 12 matches — and are languishing in 13th place, eight points off the UEFA Champions League places.
Photo: AFP
Wissam Ben Yedder put the visitors in front in the 55th minute with a left-footed angled shot and Marseille leveled 15 minutes from time when Steven Fletcher’s effort took a deflection off Toulouse’s Brazilian midfielder Somalia and went in.
Toulouse’s new manager Pascal Dupraz did not travel to Marseille after a mild cardiac episode and was replaced by assistant coach Mickael Debeve.
Toulouse remained in 19th place, nine points from safety.
“It’s time for us to stop burying our heads in the sand,” Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda said. “When you’re unable to win at home or to take the points like today, there is nothing to hope for.”
Ousmane Dembele later scored the first hat-trick of his career as Stade Rennais rose to fifth place with a 4-1 thrashing of Nantes in the western derby.
The 18-year-old forward opened the scoring almost immediately with a shot into the top-left corner in the first minute. Kamil Groscki then connected with a long ball from captain Romain Danze to make it 2-0 after 15 minutes.
Dembele doubled his tally seven minutes later when he surprised goalkeeper Remy Riou with a floating free-kick. The striker completed his hat-trick at the end of a swift counterattack just before halftime.
He sped down the left flank, dribbled past Lorik Cana into the penalty area and beat Riou with a right-footed shot.
Adryan Oliveira Tavares pulled one back for Nantes in the 60th minute, before Rennes were reduced to 10 men when Giovanni Sio was sent off for a second yellow card.
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