Lyon falter and fail to reclaim third spot in Ligue 1

Lyons push for direct Champions League entry took a further setback after a goalless draw away to 10-man Le Havre on Sunday, preventing them from seizing third position in Ligue 1 from Marseille.

Paulo Fonsecas team has now endured four straight league matches without victory, tumbling from near the championship contention to fourth place, trailing Marseille by two points.

Merely two weeks earlier, Lyon seemed destined to stretch their advantage over Marseille to eight points while ahead against another top-three side, yet a final surge of errors led to a 3-2 defeat.

Le Havre dropped to 10 players 10 minutes after the interval when Stephan Zagadou earned a red card.

Nevertheless, Lyon produced only one attempt on goal during a subdued second-half effort and presently lead fifth-placed Monaco and sixth-placed Rennes by a mere four points.

Gary ONeils Strasbourg outfit slipped six points adrift of the European slots following a 0-0 deadlock with Paris FC.

Toulouse halted their six-game league sequence without a triumph as Mario Sauer netted a thrilling 99th-minute decider in a 4-3 success at strugglers Metz.