Lyon boosted their hopes of securing Champions League football next season with a 2-0 victory over Nice, denying their opponents a chance to move up to second in Ligue 1. Rayan Cherki and Ernest Nuamah came off the bench to score for Lyon, who played their first match without coach Paulo Fonseca after he received a nine-month ban following an altercation with a referee.
The win moved Lyon back to sixth place, just four points behind Nice, who occupy the final automatic Champions League qualification spot.
Nice missed the opportunity to overtake Marseille in the standings, seeing their four-match winning streak and unbeaten home record come to an end. Elsewhere, Strasbourg remained within two points of Lyon after Felix Lemarechal's strike secured a 1-0 win at Nantes.
Brest also stayed in contention for European qualification as Abdallah Sima and Romain Faivre found the net in a 2-0 victory over Angers.
Reims' struggles continued as they suffered a sixth consecutive defeat, losing 2-0 at home to Auxerre, extending their winless streak to 14 matches. The loss left them just a point above the relegation zone, while Le Havre and Saint-Étienne played out a 1-1 draw in a crucial battle at the bottom of the table.
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