Ligue 1: Marseille registers fourth back-to-back win with victory at Montpellier

• Marseille moves into third place in Ligue 1 with a 2-1 victory over Montpellier.
• Nuno Tavares and an own goal give them a 2-0 lead, but they had to cling on in a tense finish.
• Marseille’s fourth consecutive victory puts them four points behind second-placed Lens.

A 2-1 victory over Montpellier put Marseille on Monday in third place in Ligue 1 and in the hunt for a Champions League berth. It was Marseille’s fourth consecutive victory.

Two second-half goals from Nuno Tavares and an own goal by Maxime Esteve gave them a 2-0 lead, but they had to cling on in a tense finish in which Tavares was sent off four minutes before Teji Savanier scored a penalty kick.

The victory, which follows last week’s 6-1 thumping of Toulouse, puts Marseille three points ahead of fourth-placed Monaco and four points behind second-placed Lens, which defeated Paris Saint-Germain on Sunday.

Tavares scored his fifth goal of the season early in the second half after Jordan Veretout’s header was saved by Jonas Omlin. The match was scoreless at halftime.

Just after the hour mark, they went up by two goals when central defender Esteve, under pressure at the back post during a corner, scored an own goal.

The departure of Tavares and Savanier’s penalty made for a tense finish, but Marseille held on for the victory.

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A 1-1 draw at home against Reims prevented Lille from advancing to sixth place.

Jonathan David gave the home team the lead shortly after the half-hour mark when he pounced on a loose ball after Yehvann Diouf had blocked Jonathan Bamba’s attempt.

11 minutes from time, Thibault De Smet set up Jens-Lys Cajuste for the equalizer as Reims salvaged a point.

“We missed a great opportunity to win the match. We are disappointed and frustrated,” said Lille coach Paulo Fonseca.

The home audience whistled their disdain of the performance of the Lille players, prompting a furious outburst from Fonseca.

“I am very disappointed with our supporters as well,” he said. “If the fans are not happy with the way the team is playing, they can go see the (club) president and I can leave.”

Troyes earned three crucial points following Strasbourg’s comeback from a 2-0 deficit to tie the game at 2-2. Xavier Chavalerin scored on a volley with 12 minutes remaining to give the away team the victory.

Monday night, Rennes hosts Nice.

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