LOSC BACK TO WINNING WAYS WITH LYON UPSET

LOSC - provisionally without a coach - got back to winning ways against Olympique Lyonnais, with Thiago Mendes (21') and Ezequiel Ponce getting their goals in a 2-1 win.

 Olympique Lyonnais 1-2 LOSC 

THE MATCH
It has been a tumultuous time for LOSC of late, with Marcelo Bielsa suspended as coach last week with the club in 19th after 14 games played, but they gave as good as they got against a Lyon side who bounced into this game without having suffered defeat since the 2-0 reverse at Paris Saint-Germain in Week 6. Happy to sit back and hit OL on the counter, Les Dogues bit first, with Thiago Mendes finishing off the swiftest of attacks following a corner at the other end, steering the ball into Anthony Lopes' far corner (21'). Lyon regained control around the half-hour, and Memphis Depay flashed an effort wide (31') before Mariano Diaz bagged his 11th Ligue 1 Conforama goal, heading home Tanguy Ndombele's cross (36'). The hosts' joy was short-lived, though, and LOSC went into the half-time break a goal to the good after Ezequiel Ponce nodded home from another cross, this time supplied by Kévin Malcuit (40').

Lyon looked to have a route back into the game soon after the restart when Maxwel Cornet drew a penalty from Fodé Ballo-Touré, but Mike Maignan sprang across his goal to deny OL captain Nabil Fekir with the resulting spot-kick (56'). Unperturbed, and with those visiting fans who had made the 700-kilometre journey south making themselves heard, LOSC thought they had pulled further clear when Ponce headed home what would have been his first brace since his Bielsa-mandated signing from Granada, but the Argentine's effort was ruled out for offside (61'). Lyon, winners of five of their previous six Ligue 1 Conforama games, poured on the pressure late on, but Maignan managed to stop Fekir when one-on-one (84') before the big 'keeper repelled each of Fekir, Mariano and Memphis minutes later (86') to seal LOSC's fourth win of the campaign.

THE PLAYER: Mike MaignanWhilst Ponce could have had a hat-trick, this win would have been impossible for LOSC without Maignan's heroics. The Paris Saint-Germain academy product has had to play second-fiddle to Vincent Enyeama for much of the past two seasons, but performances like this should give Bielsa's full-time successor - whomever that may be - a straightforward selection decision between the posts.

THE STAT: 528Mendes' goal was the first Maignan's opposite number Lopes had conceded in 528 minutes of Ligue 1 Conforama football. The last time the Portuguese shot-stopper picked the ball out of his own net was in the 3-2 win over champions AS Monaco, in Week 9.