Arizona Tribune - Nice deny Lyon chance to go top of Ligue 1

Victory for Paulo Fonseca's Lyon would have seen them leapfrog champions Paris Saint-Germain at the summit but instead a frustrating one-goal loss condemned them to remain fourth on 15 points.

PSG drew 3-3 at home to second-placed Strasbourg on Friday, offering the chance to rivals Marseille and Lyon to take first place.

Marseille, third, host lowly Le Havre later on Saturday.

Melvin Bard gave eighth-placed Nice the lead with five minutes on the clock as he fired a fine first-time finish past Dominik Greif after racing onto Sofiane Diop's inviting ball across the box from the right flank.

The away side levelled just shy of the half-hour when Pavel Sulc nodded in a flick-on from a corner.

Diop restored the hosts' lead in the 35th minute with what was just their second shot on target of the match.

The danger again came from the right-hand side as a flighted ball was headed back across the six-yard box by Mohamed-Ali Cho and the Moroccan tucked home from a tight angle.

Lyon were awarded a spot-kick shortly after half-time but former Arsenal man Ainsley Maitland-Niles failed to beat goalkeeper Yehvann Diouf from 12 yards as Nice were let off.

The home side immediately took advantage of the reprieve as midfielder Hicham Boudaoui finished a breakaway with an unerring strike that curved away from Greif and into the Slovakian's far corner on 55 minutes.

Sulc headed in his second of the match for Lyon five minutes into added time, but Nice held firm to see out the three points.

Elsewhere on Saturday, fifth-placed Monaco travel to second-last Angers.

Ch.P.Lewis--AT