Lyon, Sep 1: Lyon finally prevailed in a 1-0 win over 10-man Marseille thanks to a late own-goal from Leonardo Balerdi in the French league on Sunday.
Lyon substitute Nicolas Tagliafico struck the crossbar and teammate Pavel Sulc’s pressure forced the despairing Balerdi on the line to bundle the ball into his own net in the 88th minute.
Lyon had two goals ruled out in the first half, and Marseille had defender CJ Egan-Riley sent off in the 29th for taking down Malick Fofana when he was through on goal.The visitors improved after the break despite their numerical disadvantage. Hamed Junior Traoré and Pierre-Emile Höjbjerg both missed good chances for Marseille.It’s Marseille’s second loss from three league games so far this season.
Lyon was without star player Georges Mikautadze, who has been linked with a move away to alleviate the financial situation at the club.
The seven-time French champion was in June demoted to the second tier because of financial irregularities and debts estimated at 175 million euros ($203 million), but it secured its top-division status on appeal.
Paris FC celebrated its first win since clinching promotion as it defeated visiting Metz 3-2 in a game watched by Red Bull head of global soccer Jürgen Klopp. (AP)
