Montpellier beats Ajaccio to take provisional lead

PARIS (AP) -- Striker Olivier Giroud's league-leading 16th goal helped Montpellier beat Ajaccio 3-0 to take the provisional lead in the French league on Saturday.

Morocco playmaker Younes Belhanda converted a penalty in the 53rd minute after Ajaccio midfielder Benjamin Andre tripped Henri Bedimo.

Montpellier midfielder Remy Cabella pounced on a pass from Giroud to double the lead with an angled shot in the 64th. Giroud then chested a long ball to fire into the bottom corner in the 67th.

"We're now 10 points ahead of Lyon. We've therefore made a big step toward a European spot," Giroud said.

Montpellier was level on points with Paris Saint-Germain, which visits Nice on Sunday, but leads on goal difference.

Also, it was: Lyon 1, Caen 2; Auxerre 1, Lorient 1; Valenciennes 1, Nancy 0; Rennes 1, Sochaux 0; Brest 1, Dijon 1.

The match between Evian and Marseille was postponed because of a cold snap.

Caen snapped a 10-game winless streak in all competitions and dealt a hard blow to Lyon's league title hopes.

"Before every match, we believe we can create problems for the opponent," Caen forward Pierre-Alain Frau said. "Everybody expected us to lose but we managed to take three points."

Romain Hamouma beat Lyon goalkeeper Hugo Lloris with a low shot to open the scoring for Caen in the 13th.

Caen forward Livio Nabab made it 2-0 in the 73rd with a long-range strike that looped over Lloris in the 73rd.

Lyon striker Lisandro Lopez converted a penalty in the 86th for consolation after Caen fullback Aurelien Montaroup fouled Alexandre Lacazette.

"We were not ambitious enough in our game," Lyon coach Remi Garde said. "That's our eighth loss in the league, that's way too much."

In Auxerre, defender Willy Boly nodded in a corner for the hosts in the 18th.

Lorient was down to 10 men from the 20th when goalkeeper Fabien Audard handled the ball outside the area to deny Israeli forward Tahar Ben Sahar.

But Lorient striker Innocent Emeghara scored an equalizer with a header in the second minute of stoppage time.

In Valenciennes, substitute Mamadou Samassa netted the winner from close range following a goalmouth scramble in injury time.

In Rennes, Mevlut Erding headed home a cross from winger Jonathan Pitroipa in the 16th.

Rennes went level on points with Lyon and third-place Lille.

In Brest, fullback Santiago Gentiletti salvaged a draw for the hosts by heading in a free kick from Bruno Grougi in the third minute of stoppage time despite losing Issam Jemaa in the 90th as the Tunisia forward was sent off for dissent.

Gael Kakuta, on loan from Chelsea, had put Dijon ahead with a low drive from the edge of the box in the 76th.

On Sunday, defending champion Lille hosts Bordeaux and Saint-Etienne faces Toulouse.

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