France
PARIS – Lens rallied from a two-goal deficit in the second half to beat Saint-Etienne 3-2 on Sunday and move out of the relegation zone in the French league.
Ivory Coast forward Aruna Dindane chipped the ball over the Saint-Etienne defence to collect it inside the area and shoot past goalkeeper Jeremie Janot for the winner in the 85th minute.
"To come back that way after being led 2-0, that’s really great," Lens coach Jean-Pierre Papin said. "The players have proved that they have some resources. If they keep that mind-set until the end of the season, we’ll have some nice surprises."
Eighth-place Saint-Etienne got off to an optimal start, converting its first two chances.
Christophe Landrin slipped a through ball to David Gigliotti who beat the offside trap to place the ball out reach for goalkeeper Vedran Runje in the 17th.
Landrin doubled the lead in the 22nd off a pass from Pascal Feindouno, chipping the ball over Runje.
Lens fought back in the second half, as Adama Coulibaly converted a rebound in the 63rd minute and Yohan Demont placed a strike under the crossbar from the edge of the box to level two minutes later.
Earlier Sunday, Yoan Gouffran scored twice to lead Caen to a 3-2 victory over Le Mans.
Caen moved further away from the relegation zone, while Le Mans missed an opportunity to leapfrog Bordeaux into fourth place.
Gouffran volleyed into the top corner of the net to put Caen ahead in the 33rd, after Benjamin Nivet diverted a corner kick toward the forward.
Le Mans equalized two minutes after the break when Serbia defender Marko Basa flicked the ball home after Caen goalkeeper Vincent Plante misplayed a corner kick.
Juan Eduardo Eluchans made it 2-1 for Caen in the 57th, taking a long pass from Gregory Leca to beat goalkeeper Yohann Pele with an angled shot.
Gouffran then headed in a cross from the left flank in the 65th to extend Caen’s lead before Tulio de Melo pulled one back for Le Mans by heading in a free kick in the 72nd for his seventh goal this season.
Meanwhile, Metz held mid-table Toulouse to a scoreless draw.
Toulouse had a flurry of chances, but Fabinho headed wide from five yards in the 4th and Johan Elmander’s shot in the 28th was nearly deflected into the net, but Metz defender Gaetan Bong rushed back to clear the ball.
Metz goalkeeper Christophe Marichez palmed away a low free kick from Paulo Cesar in the 37th.
"We didn’t score a goal in spite of all the occasions," Toulouse coach Elie Baup told Canal Plus television. "It’s a matter of passing more quickly the ball. Sometimes, the players take an extra touch."
Toulouse kept dominating in the second half, but still lacked the finishing touch. Cameroon midfielder Achille Emana attempted a lob from midfield that sailed inches above the crossbar in the 63rd.
Metz nearly stole the game in the 87th, but Toulouse goalkeeper Nicolas Douchez stopped a close-range shot from Laurent Agouazi.
In stoppage time, Pape Malik Diop preserved the draw for Metz by blocking a shot from Elmander that beat Marichez.
On Saturday, Lyon beat Valenciennes 2-0 with goals from Juninho and Sidney Govou to keep its four-point lead at the top of the standings.
Also Saturday, it was Nancy 1, Bordeaux 0; Rennes 0, Monaco 1; Strasbourg 1, Paris Saint-Germain 2; Marseille 0, Lorient 0; Nice 0, Sochaux 0; and, Auxerre 0, Lille 1.
Source: FRA: Lens rallies past Saint-Etienne
