Reporting Sports in a refreshing style

Lyon see off Strasbourg to move top of Ligue 1

 

Memphis Depay scored twice as Lyon piled the pressure on their title rivals by moving top of Ligue 1 on Saturday with a straightforward 3-0 win over 10-man Strasbourg.

Rudi Garcia’s men now sit one point ahead of previous leaders Lille, who visit struggling Nantes on Sunday, with reigning champions Paris Saint-Germain three points further back ahead of their game at arch rivals Marseille.

Lyon have lost just one of their last 21 Ligue 1 matches as they bid for a first league title since the last of their seven straight crowns in 2008.

The visitors were left with a mountain to climb early on at the Groupama Stadium, as Adrien Thomasson lost his composure and was booked twice in the space of 40 seconds in the 14th minute.

Depay turned in the opening goal six minutes later, scoring for the 12th time in the league this season.

Strasbourg goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima denied the Dutch forward a second soon after, but Lyon did double their advantage on the half-hour mark as Karl Toko Ekambi dinked in after collecting Thiago Mendes’ pass.

Former Manchester United winger Depay, who had gone four games without a goal before kick-off, curled in the hosts’ third in the 68th minute.

Strasbourg, who are winless in four outings, appeared resigned to their fate from very early in the match and Lyon completed victory despite barely breaking sweat.

Elsewhere, Lorient beat Reims 1-0 to continue their fine run of form, which includes a remarkable 3-2 victory at PSG last weekend, to move three points clear of the bottom three.

 

 

You might also like

Leave A Reply

Your email address will not be published.