Memphis Depay scored twice as Lyon swept aside Strasbourg 3-0 to move on top of the French league on Saturday while title rivals Lille and Paris Saint-Germain rested.
Depay, who was close to joining Barcelona last summer, is leading Lyon's title charge with 13 league goals. Only PSG striker Kylian Mbappe has more with 15, while Depay's strike partner, Karl Toko Ekambi, moved on to 11.
Strasbourg's hopes were quickly dented when midfielder Adrien Thomasson was sent off after 15 minutes for contesting his yellow card with the referee and getting a second one.
Lyon's Memphis Depay, right, celebrates his goal against Strasbourg during the French League One soccer match between Lyon and Strasbourg, in Decines, near Lyon, central France, Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021. (AP PhotoLaurent Cipriani)
Soon after, Lyon took the lead when Houssem Aouar won the ball in midfield and sent Depay through for a typically confident finish.
Toko Ekambi made it 2-0 in the 29th with a neat clip over goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima after being found in the penalty area by midfielder Thiago Mendes.
Later Saturday, Lens was facing fifth-placed Rennes.
Lyon's Karl Toko Ekambi, center, scores a goal against Strasbourg during the French League One soccer match between Lyon and Strasbourg, in Decines, near Lyon, central France, Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021. (AP PhotoLaurent Cipriani)
RESURGENT LORIENT
Lorient continued its remarkable run of form by beating Reims 1-0 at home to make it 10 points from the last four games.
After scoring and setting up the winner in last weekend's dramatic 3-2 home win against Paris Saint-Germain, midfielder Laurent Abergel netted in the 52nd.
Lyon's Karl Toko Ekambi, right, celebrates his goal against Strasbourg during the French League One soccer match between Lyon and Strasbourg, in Decines, near Lyon, central France, Saturday, Feb. 6, 2021. (AP PhotoLaurent Cipriani)
Seemingly doomed to relegation before the winter break, Lorient was out of the drop zone and up to 17th place.
SUNDAY ACTION
Defending champion PSG is sweating on the fitness of Neymar ahead of its trip to bitter rival Marseille.
He missed Saturday training because of gastroenteritis, and PSG will decide on Sunday if he can travel south.
Marseille beat PSG 1-0 in Paris in September, in a match in which Neymar was among five players sent off.
Tensions are running high at Marseille, with coach Andre Villas-Boas resigning this week just days after a mob of angry fans stormed the training ground and damaged property.
To prevent further incidents at Stade Velodrome, the city will deploy 400 police officers around the stadium and ensure players are protected leaving their homes.
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Paris Saint-Germain all but sealed a record-equaling 10th French league crown with five rounds to spare by winning 3-0 at Angers on Wednesday.
PSG is 15 points ahead of second-place Marseille and has a vastly superior goal difference, but still still needs one point at home against Lens on Saturday to clinch the title.
PSG is set to move level with Saint-Etienne, which won its 10th title in 1981 and is fighting to stay up this season. PSG only had two titles to Marseille's nine when cash-rich Qatari owners QSI bought PSG in 2011.
PSG's Kylian Mbappe, left, challenges with Angers' Angelo Fulgini, right, and Angers' Souleyman Doumbia during the League One soccer match between Angers and Paris Saint Germain, at the Raymond-Kopa stadium in Angers, western France, Wednesday, April 20, 2022. (AP PhotoJeremias Gonzalez)
Kylian Mbappe fired PSG ahead from the edge of the penalty area in the 28th minute after swapping passes with right back Achraf Hakimi.
Former Real Madrid defender Sergio Ramos headed in Angel Di Maria’s cross following a short corner just before the break, and captain Marquinhos headed in another fine pass from Di Maria in the 77th.
It looked like PSG would be able to start celebrating the title as Nantes led twice at Marseille. But Marseille rallied with Dimitri Payet netting two penalties and midfielder Amine Harit clinching a 3-2 win when he scored against his former club in the 75th.
PSG's Sergio Ramos, right, celebrates his goal with PSG's Achraf Hakimi during the League One soccer match between Angers and Paris Saint Germain, at the Raymond-Kopa stadium in Angers, western France, Wednesday, April 20, 2022. (AP PhotoJeremias Gonzalez)
Marseille strengthened its bid to finish second in the automatic Champions League spot as it now holds a six-point lead over Rennes and Strasbourg. Alsace-side Strasbourg beat Rennes 2-1 at home.
Mbappe’s league-leading 22 goals puts him two ahead of Rennes forward Martin Terrier, who equalized for Rennes before imposing striker Ludovic Ajorque grabbed Strasbourg’s winner as coach Julien Stephan defeated the club where he made his name.
Rennes stays third in the Champions League playoff place on goal difference ahead of fourth-place Strasbourg and fifth-place Monaco, which beat Nice 1-0 at home to leapfrog its local rival.
PSG's Marquinhos waves to supporters prior to the League One soccer match between Angers and Paris Saint Germain, at the Raymond-Kopa stadium in Angers, western France, Wednesday, April 20, 2022. (AP PhotoJeremias Gonzalez)
At Stade Velodrome, Marseille fell behind midway through the first half when Brazilian midfielder Andrei Girotto was set up by midfielder Wylan Cyprien.
Payet equalized in the 39th but Marcus Coco restored the lead two minutes later for French Cup finalist Nantes.
Payet’s second penalty in the 55th made it 12 league goals for the former France playmaker, seven of them from the spot.
CHASE FOR EUROPE
Monaco is right back in contention for third place, with Russia midfielder Aleksandr Golovin netting in first-half injury time following a cross from Brazilian Vanderson.
Match jerseys were to be auctioned to raise money for Ukrainians fleeing their country following Russia’s invasion.
Monaco is two points ahead of Nice and three ahead of seventh-place Lens, which beat Montpellier 2-0 at home to stay in the hunt for European places.
Eighth-place Lyon lost 2-1 at Brest and defending champion Lille was beaten 2-1 at Reims, which scored an injury-time winner through captain Yunis Abdelhamid.
Lille sits in ninth, one point behind seven-time champion Lyon.
RELEGATION SCRAP
Guinea striker Mohamed Bayo pounced in the 88th minute as Clermont won 1-0 at fellow struggler Troyes to move up to 17th place.
Saint-Etienne dropped to 18th — the relegation-promotion playoff position — after drawing 2-2 at 19th-place Bordeaux.
Six-time champion Bordeaux, which has conceded a league-high 79 goals, went 2-0 up inside 22 minutes through 19-year-old forward Sekou Mara and midfielder Jean Onana.
Goals from Denis Bouanga and fellow forward Arnaud Nordin earned Saint-Etienne a draw that kept it four points clear of Bordeaux.
Rock-bottom Metz edged closer to relegation after losing 1-0 at Lorient, which improved to 15th thanks to Dango Outarra’s winner deep into injury time.
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