Short-handed Lyon blanks Nancy 2-0

PARIS (AP) -- Lyon fielded a makeshift team to beat mid-table Nancy 2-0 Saturday and increase its lead in the French league.

Brazilian defender Cris headed in a corner kick from Cesar Delgado that was diverted at the near post by Jean-Alain Boumsong in the 18th minute. On a counterattack in injury time, Jean Makoun set up France striker Karim Benzema, who came off the bench and scored his 12th goal in the league this season.

Lyon goalkeeper Hugo Lloris stopped a penalty kick from Youssouf Hadji in the 51st after fullback Lamine Gassama fouled Jonathan Brison.

The defending champions were missing John Mensah through suspension and the injured Fabio Santos, Mathieu Bodmer, Anthony Reveillere and Francois Clerc.

Lyon coach Claude Puel wanted to rest some key players ahead of the Champions League match against Barcelona on Tuesday and did not include Fabio Grosso, Kader Keita, Honorato Ederson, Juninho and Benzema in his starting lineup.

Lyon leads the standings with 52 points, six more than Paris Saint-Germain. Marseille can move into second place with a victory over Le Mans on Sunday.

Also Saturday, it was: Grenoble 0, Paris Saint-Germain 0; Toulouse 0, Valenciennes 0; Nice 0, Rennes 1; Lorient 1, Sochaux 2; Le Havre 1, Auxerre 2; and Nantes 1, Caen 1.

Olivier Thomert lifted Rennes past Nice. Jimmy Briand charged down the right flank in the 67th to make a low cross for Thomert, who slid it in.

Rennes moved into sixth place with 42 points, while Nice, two spots behind with 39 points, lost ground in the hunt for a European berth.

Mevlut Erding helped Sochaux rally past Lorient. The Turkey forward beat the offside trap in injury time to shoot past goalkeeper Fabien Audard, raising his tally to eight goals.

Kevin Gameiro took a pass from Marama Vahirua and sent the ball through goalkeeper Teddy Richert's legs in the 24th to put Lorient ahead. But Nicolas Maurice-Belay pulled the ball back toward Czech Republic forward Vaclav Sverkos, who equalized with a low shot in the 66th.

Sochaux remained in the relegation zone with 23 points despite the win, while Lorient was stuck in ninth place with 31 points.

In Le Havre, Denmark playmaker Thomas Kahlenberg opened the scoring for mid-table Auxerre in the first minute from a cross by Dennis Oliech after defender Massamba Sambou missed his clearance. Jean-Michel Lesage converted a rebound in the 37th to level for last-place Le Havre.

Substitute Valter Birsa gave Auxerre the victory in the 78th with an assist from Poland forward Ireneusz Jelen.

In Nantes, forward Christian Bekamenga spun to equalize from close range for the host side in the 44th after Caen midfielder Anthony Deroin outpaced the Nantes defense in the third to beat goalkeeper Guy Rolland N'Dy Assembe.

On Sunday, Bordeaux visits Saint-Etienne and Lille faces Monaco.

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