Montpellier sweep aside struggling Ajaccio
Reuters - Saturday 11 February 2012, 21:32
A 15-minute goal blitz gave
Montpellier a 3-0 home win over Ajaccio and top spot in Ligue 1
on Saturday.
Younes Belhanda, Remy Cabella and Olivier Giroud (pictured) were on
target between the 53rd and 67th minutes as Montpellier chalked
up 49 points from 23 games.
Olympique Lyon, who host APOEL Nicosia in a last-16
Champions League game on Tuesday, slumped to a surprise 2-1 home
defeat against Caen that left them in fourth place, 10 points
off the pace.
Romain Hamouma opened the scoring for the visitors after 13
minutes with a low, angled shot following a quick
counter-attack.
Caen made it 2-0 thanks to a superb goal by substitute Livio
Nabab who volleyed into the top corner from outside the box 17
minutes from time.
Lyon pulled one back when Lisandro Lopez converted a penalty
after Alexandre Lacazette was brought down in the 86th minute.
"We were caught cold," home striker Bafetimbi Gomis told
French television.
"Trailing when it's cold like that is not easy. We need to
work hard to improve if we want to keep pace with the top
teams."
Montpellier needed 53 minutes to warm up, breaking the
deadlock through Belhanda's penalty after Henri Bedimo was
fouled in the box.
Giroud then set up Cabella for the second and Ligue 1 top
scorer Giroud netted his 16th goal of the season after
outstripping the defence.
A Mevlut Erding goal was all Stade Rennes needed to see off
bottom club Sochaux 1-0 and move up to fifth on 39 points.
Sixth-placed Olympique Marseille's trip to Evian Thonon
Gaillard was postponed on Saturday due to a frozen pitch.