PARIS (AP) — Midfielder Noah Nartey made an immediate impact at his new club by scoring Sunday on his Ligue 1 debut to lead Lyon to a 10th consecutive win across all competitions.
In a match of few chances for both teams, Nartay broke the deadlock in the 37th minute as Lyon beat Lille 1-0 to climb to fourth place in the French league, level on points with third-placed Marseille.
The 20-year-old Danish player signed a five-year contract with Lyon last month, joining from Brondby.
Lille dominated the first half and Nartay showed his solid defensive skills. He then displayed his composure to send a low shot between the legs of the Lille goalkeeper. That capped a fine move by Ruben Kluivert, who had rushed down the the left flank then set up his teammate with a precise cut-back pass at the penalty spot.
“I’m proud of the team, we worked hard,” Kluivert said. “Lille was good, but we were better.”
Nartay’s goal extended Lille’s losing streak to a fourth consecutive Ligue 1 match, with Bruno Génésio’s team in fifth place, seven points behind Lyon.
Defending champion Paris Saint-Germain played at Strasbourg later Sunday and is looking to move back to the top. Lens reclaimed the lead with a 1-0 win against Le Havre on Friday.
More misery for Metz
Last-placed Metz slumped to a 14th defeat in 20 league matches this season, losing 1-0 at Angers. Metz’s task was made harder early on when Jean-Philippe Gbamin was sent off after slipping on the ball and stamping on the ankle of Haris Belkebla. Angers took advantage of the situation and Louis Mouton scored the decisive goal in the 25th minute with a precise finish.
Auxerre moved one point above Metz after a 0-0 draw at Toulouse, and Nice fought back from two goals down at home to draw 2-2 with Brest thanks to second-half goals from Ali Abdi and Elye Wahi.
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