Ligue 1: Metz striker Aaron Leya Iseka's injury-time winner ends Lyon's unbeaten streak; Lille rallies to beat Reims

The Associated Press January 18, 2021, 10:15:54 IST

Lyon were unbeaten in 16 games but were stunned by Belgian forward Aaron Leya Iseka’s injury-time winner for mid-table Metz.

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Ligue 1: Metz striker Aaron Leya Iseka's injury-time winner ends Lyon's unbeaten streak; Lille rallies to beat Reims

Lyon’s long unbeaten streak ended and they wasted a chance to keep first place in the French league after a 1-0 home loss to Metz on Sunday. Lyon were unbeaten in 16 games but were stunned by Belgian forward Aaron Leya Iseka’s injury-time winner for mid-table Metz. Defending champion Paris Saint-Germain, who won on Saturday, are level on points with second-place Lille and lead on goal difference after 20 rounds. They are two points ahead of third-place Lyon. “It’s a bitter defeat. When you only hit the target with 20 percent of your shots then you shouldn’t be surprised if you don’t score,” Lyon coach Rudi Garcia said. “We only have ourselves to blame. We need to do a little bit more and play a little bit better.” Lyon forward Karl Toko Ekambi had a goal ruled out following a video replay in the 74th minute, moments after fellow forward Maxwell Cornet hit the post. Earlier, Canada forward Jonathan David struck an injury-time winner as Lille rallied to beat Reims 2-1. Lille had lost their previous home game and fell behind to winger Arber Zeneli’s goal late in the first half. After Jonathan Bamba hit a fine equalizer shortly after the break, curling in from just outside the penalty area, David pounced from close range after goalkeeper Predrag Rajkovic spilled a shot. Elsewhere, a late penalty from midfielder Clement Grenier settled a tight contest and gave fifth-place Rennes a 2-1 win at Brest in the Brittany derby. Brest striker Steve Mounie hit the crossbar with a header in the 89th minute. Bordeaux winger Hatem Ben Arfa missed the trip to face his former club Nice but it hardly mattered as the visitors won 3-0, with South Korea forward Hwang Ui-jo getting the first goal. In Sunday’s other games, Strasbourg beat Saint-Etienne 1-0, while Nantes and Lens played to a 1-1 draw. The game between Lorient and Dijon was postponed because of high number of coronavirus cases in the Lorient squad. On Saturday, defender Layvin Kurzawa’s goal was just enough to earn PSG a scrappy 1-0 win at Angers.

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