Lorient shock for Lyon

Three players were sent off as Lyon suffered a 1-0 home defeat to Lorient that loosened their grip on fifth place.

Three players were sent off as Lyon suffered a 1-0 home defeat to Lorient that loosened their grip on fifth place in the Ligue 1 table. Les Gones were up against it from the moment Mouhamadou Dabo saw red in the early exchanges but survived until just after the break, when Cheick Doukoure struck the only goal of the game. Jordan Ferri and Kevin Monnet-Pacquet were both dismissed as tempers flared at the death and Lyon were left looking over their shoulders at sixth-placed Marseille, who are just one point behind. With 14 minutes gone Dabo made the decision to bring down Lorient's Brian Pele as he streaked through on goal and picked up a straight red card for his trouble. That allowed Lorient more room for manoeuvre and Jeremie Aliadiere went close to scoring with a snapshot that Anthony Lopes had to punch clear with both fists. Lyon recovered and tested their opponents through Bafetimbi Gomis, who rifled Alexandre Lacazette's pass straight at Florent Chaigneau. Then, Lacazette produced a stunning volley on a cross from Henri Bedimo that Chaigneau had to pluck out of the top corner. There was stalemate at the break but Lorient would get the ball over the line seven minutes after the interval. A superb counter-attack led by Raphael Guerreiro saw Doukoure take possession before pinging the ball past Lopes from close range. The game could have swung back in Lyon's favour had Lacazette got past Chaigneau with a powerful low drive, but Lorient should have been out of sight before stoppage time began. Mathieu Coutadeur twice pulled the trigger for the Bretons - firstly following good work from Lamine Gassama and secondly after being teed up by Pele - but Lopes denied him on both occasions. There would be an unpleasant end to proceedings at the Stade de Gerland as Ferri earned his marching orders by making an offensive gesture at Monnet-Paquet. The Lorient striker's aggressive attempt to retaliate saw him issued with a red card, too, and the evening ended on a rather sour note. Lyon must now travel to face unpredictable Nice on the final day of the season, while rivals Marseille host lowly Guingamp and have their eyes fixed on fifth spot and a place in the Europa League.