Marseille welcome Ligue 1 win over Nancy

Paris (AFP) – Rudi Garcia’s Marseille claimed just their second win in seven Ligue 1 matches with a 3-0 victory over Nancy on Sunday.

Florian Thauvin struck just after half-time at the Stade Velodrome before fellow Premier League cast-offs Bafetimbi Gomis and Clinton Njie scored late goals after Benoit Pedretti was sent off for Nancy.

It was just a fifth win in 16 matches for Marseille this season as the fallen French giants climbed back into the top half of the table, 15 points behind leaders Monaco.

Nice are level on points at the top and could reclaim first place later on Sunday when they host Toulouse, the only team to have beaten both Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain this campaign.

Rennes moved up to fourth as second-half goals from Paul-Georges Ntep and Kamil Grosicki earned them a 2-0 win at home to Saint-Etienne.

On Saturday, Radamel Falcao scored twice as Monaco thrashed Bastia 5-0, but PSG crashed to a 3-0 defeat at Montpellier to lose ground in the title race.

However, the action was overshadowed by incidents in Metz where Lyon goalkeeper Anthony Lopes was taken to hospital with hearing problems after home fans targeted the Portugal international with firecrackers.

Fortunately, the 26-year-old confirmed there would be no lasting damage, but Metz could face heavy sanctions from authorities including forfeiting a game they had led 1-0 before it was abandoned in the 31st minute.