Weakened Lyon slump to defeat at Lorient

Paris (AFP) – Lyon missed the chance to move level on points with stumbling champions Paris Saint-Germain in Ligue 1 on Saturday after losing 1-0 at struggling Lorient.

Jimmy Cabot scored the only goal of the game early in the second half in Brittany as Lyon lost for the third time in the league already this season.

Bruno Genesio’s side, who visit Sevilla in the Champions League this coming midweek, had beaten Montpellier 5-1 on Wednesday but that is now their only win in five Ligue 1 games.

They lie seventh in the table ahead of Saturday’s late games, while Lorient are off the bottom after what was just their second win of the campaign.

Lyon were again without injured leading scorer Alexandre Lacazette and suspended captain Maxime Gonalons, but France midfielder Mathieu Valbuena came in for his first start since April.

He supported Nabil Fekir in the away attack and that duo threatened to give Lyon a first-half lead on more than one occasion.

Valbuena smacked a shot against the bar from 20 yards and Fekir dribbled his way into the area before seeing his attempt saved by Benjamin Lecomte in the Lorient goal.

Instead Lorient went in front six minutes after the interval when Maxime Barthelme crossed from the left and the diminutive Cabot volleyed past Anthony Lopes in the Lyon goal.

Lyon rarely looked like equalising after that and they could have lost by a wider margin but substitute Majeed Waris was denied by Lopes when clean through.

Champions PSG slumped to a 2-0 defeat at Toulouse on Friday with Yann Bodiger scoring a penalty and Jimmy Durmaz also netting for the hosts after Serge Aurier had been sent off for the team from the capital.

Toulouse are level on points with leaders Nice, who visit Nancy on Sunday, with Paris a point behind in third. Monaco can go provisionally top with a win at home to Angers later on Saturday.