Lyon defeats Nice to enhance Ligue 1 title challenge with 13th consecutive victory

Corentin Tolisso netted the opener as Lyon secured a 2-0 victory over Nice on Sunday, solidifying their position in the top three of Ligue 1 and closing the gap to leaders Lens to just seven points.

Paulo Fonseca's team now holds a five-point advantage over fourth-placed Marseille in the battle for the final automatic Champions League qualification spot.

This marked their 13th successive win across all competitions, keeping the seven-time French champions' faint title aspirations in play.

Lens regained the summit on Saturday with a comprehensive 5-0 rout of Paris FC, following Paris Saint-Germain's 3-1 defeat at Rennes the day before.

Lyon opened the scoring against Nice in added time of the first half through a slick counter-attack, with Tolisso tapping in at the far post for his 50th goal for the club.

Both teams squandered opportunities at the start of the second half, as Nice's Tom Louchet saw his low shot parried by Lyon keeper Dominik Greif, while Pavel Sulc's effort from Lyon curled just past the post.

The home side dominated completely in the 65th minute, moments after Nice's strong penalty claim for a challenge on Kail Boudache was dismissed.

Sulc broke free and set up Noah Nartey, who evaded two markers before calmly finishing into the net.

In another match, Auxerre, sitting in the relegation play-off position, improved their survival chances with a 3-1 triumph at rock-bottom Metz.

Lorient, who earned promotion from the second division last year, narrowed the gap to the European spots to three points by claiming their fourth win in five games, beating Angers 2-0.