The China Mail - Suffering French giants Lyon still winless, Monaco best Brest

Champions League semi-finalists as recently as 2020, Lyon are adrift with four draws and six defeats in the French top flight this season.

Adding injury to insult, Lyon were ambushed outside the Marseille stadium last week and their Italian coach Grosso was hit in the face by a projectile that smashed through the team bus window.

On Sunday, in Grosso's fifth match in charge since taking over from Laurent Blanc, Lyon fell 1-0 behind to Ablie Jallow's long-range snap-shot that pinged in off the post on 77 minutes.

Grosso cut a stark figure pitchside with stitches in his eyebrow and a black eye, but he would soon have something to smile about.

Giant Lyon striker Skelly Alvero saved a point for the hosts with his own long-range shot on 84 minutes, giving the Lyon faithful something to cheer about.

"It was great to hear the fans react. We also sensed they were behind us after what happened last week too," said the 2.02-metre (6-foot-8) tall Frenchman.

"This is going to be a struggle, but we are fighting with everything we have and we need to keep out wits about us."

Grosso predicted a tough slog ahead.

"The longer it takes the harder it's going to be," said Grosso, who won the 2006 World Cup as a player with Italy.

"The players are too tense to show their true colours. We have to keep working at it."

- Monaco bounce back -

Monaco returned to winning ways when they hosted Brest on Sunday with a 2-0 victory in a tightly-contested affair.

A headed goal by Denis Zakaria and a Aleksandr Golovin strike either side of half-time were enough to see Monaco overcome last weekend's defeat and move up to second in the table.

The visitors had a dream start on 11 minutes when Jeremy Le Douaron thought he had sent them ahead, but the goal was disallowed by VAR after Pierre Lees-Melou fouled Monaco's Folarin Balogun in the build-up.

Things got worse for Brest five minutes later when Zakaria nipped in ahead of Marco Bizot to nod in the opener from a corner.

Both sides thought they had the ball in the net in a frantic phase of play when Balogun and then Brest's Lilian Brassier believed they had scored, only for both to be adjudged offside in the 25th and 27th minutes, respectively.

With half an hour gone, a shoulder barge by Krepin Diatta on Le Douaron as the Brest winger burst on to the ball in the box was not whistled, which would have offered a lifeline into the game for Brest.

The decision drew the ire of the Brest bench, who had seen another penalty appeal turned down by VAR 10 minutes prior.

Monaco started the second half the brighter, and nearly doubled their lead on 55 minutes but for an important intervention by a retreating Brassier as Balogun had the goal in his sights.

But there was no such reprieve in the 69th minute when Golovin controlled Youssouf Fofana's pass in the box and slotted in Monaco's second.

The ever lively Brest almost struck back immediately through Brendan Chardonnet, whose headed effort from a corner beat Philipp Koehn all ends up but clipped the outside of the far post with 71 minutes gone.

This was the last of the big chances for Brest, who will be left rueing their luck after having two first-half goals disallowed.

As the visitors sought a goal, Brassier picked up a second yellow card and the side from Brittany finished the match with 10.

Earlier on Sunday, Lyon's fellow relegation-strugglers Clermont drew 0-0 away to Strasbourg, meaning they maintain their two-point advantage over Grosso's men.

Will Still's Reims moved up into fourth place with a 1-0 win at Nantes.

Nice can climb back to the top of Ligue 1 when they host Rennes in the last match of the round.

Paris Saint-Germain beat Montpellier 3-0 to climb top of Ligue 1 on Friday, with Ousmane Dembele providing much of the ammunition.

Y.Parker--ThChM