Midfielder Fabien Lemoine scored a late winner to help Saint-Etienne win 1-0 Saturday at Lorient and move into fourth place.
Striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel had a shot in each half saved by goalkeeper Benjamin Lecomte, and winger Max-Alain Gradel failed to connect from Kevin Monnet-Paquet’s cross in the 78th minute when left unmarked.
But Lemoine atoned for those misses in the 87th with a low shot from outside the penalty area.
“Should we have scored earlier? Yes. We’re still lacking something in terms of our finishing, even if we hit the target more often than usual,” Saint-Etienne coach Christophe Galtier said. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t score when we had some clear-cut chances and, if I’m totally honest, I thought we would leave here with a 0-0 draw.”
Lille wasted a chance to move above Saint-Etienne and provisionally take third spot after losing 2-1 at home to Guingamp, as the relegation battlers moved off the bottom of the table and into 18th spot.
Goals from midfielder Claudio Beauvue and striker Ronnie Schwartz put the visitors 2-0 up before veteran midfielder Rio Mavuba pulled one back late on for Lille, which is in seventh place.
Meanwhile, fifth-place Nantes took the lead early on through striker Johan Audel, only for Brazilian midfielder Diego Rigonato to equalize in the second half with his first goal of the season.
In Saturday’s other games, sixth-place Metz drew 0-0 with Rennes; mid-table Monaco beat strugglers Evian 2-0, and Nice lost 1-0 at home to Corsican side Bastia amid ugly scenes at the end as about dozens of Nice supporters invaded the field, with some seeking to confront Bastia’s players.
Midfielder Floyd Ayite scored Bastia’s winner early in the second half, while a second-minute penalty from Portugal midfielder Joao Moutinho and a 70th-minute effort from winger Yannick Ferreira Carrasco helped Monaco into 11th position.
On Friday, two-time defending champion Paris Saint-Germain beat Lens 3-1 in a match which saw three players sent off in six minutes — including Uruguay striker Edinson Cavani. He picked up his first yellow after scoring a penalty kick and celebrating with a gun-toting gesture — and a second for remonstrating with the referee over that booking.
League leader Marseille can restore its seven-point lead over PSG by beating Toulouse at home Sunday.
Also Sunday, Bordeaux can move into second place providing it beats Caen, and Lyon looks to make it six games unbeaten when it takes on Montpellier.
