Victory puts Lyon six points clear

PARIS, France -- French champions Lyon cruised to a 2-0 win over Lorient on Wednesday to extend their lead over Bordeaux to six points, boosting their chances of a seventh successive title.

Bordeaux will seek to stay on Lyon's tails with a win over midtable St Etienne on Thursday.

Nancy and Nice missed a chance to keep up the pressure on the top two as they both dropped points, Nancy in a 1-1 home draw with Marseille and Nice in a 1-1 stalemate away to Rennes.

Lyon now have 45 points from 22 matches with Bordeaux six adrift but having a match in hand. Nancy and Nice have 37 and 36 points respectively from their 22 games.

Lyon were missing a clutch of regulars through injury before a 38,000 crowd at the Stade de Gerland, including defender Cleber Anderson, midfielder Juninho and striker Sidney Govou.

But they dusted themselves down following last weekend's shock loss, their third in the league this term, to lowly Lens and normal service resumed when Hatem Ben Arfa, fed by Fred, put the table-toppers ahead on the half hour with a fierce left-foot shot.

Lorient, coming into the game five points off the Eurpoean placings having humbled Paris Saint Germain at the weekend, had their backs to the wall as first France international Karim Benzema, then Fred, hit the bar in quick succession before the break.

It was Benzema who finally clinched the points with his 14th goal of the campaign, a cool, low right-foot finish after he raced down a chipped pass from Kim Kallstrom.

Nancy looked set to go level on points with Bordeaux after Jonathan Brison scored after a neat free-kick routine two minutes after the break but Nasri levelled after Bolo Zenden crossed into the danger zone and Julien Rodriguez nodded on.

Paris Saint Germain, lslumbering in the lower half of the table all season, hinted at a recovery as they beat struggling Metz 3-0 at the Parc des Princes with Jerome Rothen setting up a tap-in for Peguy Luyindula after just four minutes.

Rothen then crashed home a tremendous drive for the second in the 34th minute. The one-way traffic continued as Amara Diane hit the third nine minutes after the restart, a low finish capping a slalom run to the edge of the area.

Relegation-threatened Lens showed their weekend win over Lyon was no flash in the pan as they won 2-1 at Valenciennes.

Jean-Pierre Papin's side had goals from Brazilian Vitorino Hilton da Silva and teenage starlet Kevin Monnet-Paquet either side of half time to thank after Savidan had put Valenciennes into a 34th-minute lead to pull themselves out of the bottom three.

Monaco moved into the top five with a 1-0 home win over Sochaux courtesy of a late winner from Frederic Piquionne, after a brilliant dinking run and cut in by Brazilian Nene. E-mail to a friend