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Improving Lyon wins 2-0 at Lorient without top scorer Lacazette. Brest visits Lens

Sat, Mar 9, 2024
Soccer News (AP)

PARIS (AP) - Improving Lyon dominated even without top scorer Alexandre Lacazette and won 2-0 at Lorient on Saturday for a fifth victory in the last six French league games.

Lacazette has 12 league goals this season but the skillful former Arsenal forward is nursing a minor thigh injury. He was replaced in attack by 18-year-old Belgian striker Malick Fofana.

Lorient goalkeeper Yvon Mvogo made three first-half saves to keep the Brittany side in the game.

He was powerless to keep out the opening goal in the 52nd minute, when Argentina's World Cup-winning left back Nicolas Tagliafico met a cross from the right with a diving header.

Mvogo was beaten again in the 65th when forward Mama Balde scored a fine goal, cutting in from the right and finishing with his left foot after latching onto midfielder Maxence Caqueret's pass. The win moved Lyon up one place to 10th.

Later Saturday, surprise front-runner Brest looked to strengthen its grip on second place and extend its unbeaten run to 14 league games when it visited sixth-place Lens. Brest's last defeat was away to Monaco on Nov. 5.

Lens played in the Champions League this year for the first time since 2002.

Brest has never qualified for Europe's elite competition and never finished higher than eighth in the French top flight.

League leader Paris Saint-Germain hosts Reims on Sunday with league top scorer Kylian Mbappe looking to add to his 21 goals.

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