France: Lyon extends lead atop Ligue 1

PARIS (AP) -- Lyon extended its lead at the top of the French league with a 1-0 win over defending champion Montpellier on Saturday.

In-form Lyon forward Bafetimbi Gomis beat his marker to fire Clement Grenier's pass beyond goalkeeper Jonathan Ligali in the 26th minute.

The leaders are now five points ahead of Paris Saint-Germain, which lost 2-1 at Nice.

"We didn't play as a team, we played too individually,'' PSG coach Carlo Ancelotti said. "We were lacking that sense of togetherness on the pitch. We couldn't find a solution up front.

"It's a difficult period. It's not enough to win against Kiev and Troyes. At the moment we're lacking consistency and intensity, and we're not taking on responsibility. In the league, we've only picked up four points out of 15. That's not normal for a team which wants to win.''

Lyon could have doubled its lead 10 minutes later when Steed Malbranque's effort whistled just past Ligali's right post.

Montpellier went close in the 66th, but goalkeeper Remy Vercoutre did well to parry Marco Estrada's powerful shot.

Moments later, Souleymane Camara fired narrowly wide for Montpellier.

"This win was difficult,'' Lyon coach Remi Garde said. "We didn't know how to keep up the rhythm after the break. We got tired physically.''

Gomis scored a hat trick as Lyon beat Marseille 4-1 in midweek.

PSG dominated against Nice but struggled to carve out any opportunities. Eric Bautheac gave Nice the lead in the 76th, but Zlatan Ibrahimovic leveled from a free kick just four minutes later.

Valentin Eysseric scored what was to prove the winner in the 86th. PSG player Blaise Matuidi was sent off in stoppage time after picking up a second booking to cap a miserable night for his team.

Bordeaux is one point behind PSG, Saint-Etienne and Marseille after drawing 2-2 against struggling Sochaux.

Loic Poujol headed Sochaux in front against the run of play, but Jerome Roussillon bundled the ball into his own net six minutes later to level.

Bordeaux took the lead shortly after the break through Yoan Gouffran, before Rafael Dias snatched a point with a 20-meter free kick three minutes from time.

Bottom club Nancy also picked up a valuable point, with a 1-1 draw at Evian.

Brice Dja Djedje gave Evian the lead with a stunning strike from 30 meters at the end of the first half, but Nancy leveled through Yohan Mollo five minutes after the break.

Elsewhere, Valenciennes beat Reims 1-0 thanks to Foued Kadir's fifth-minute strike, while Bastia held Lille to a scoreless draw.