Brest beats Metz 4-3 to maintain drive for the Champions League. Monaco edges Rennes 1-0
PARIS — Brest held on to beat struggling Metz 4-3 and consolidate second place in the French league on Sunday, moving the unheralded club closer to qualification for the Champions League for the first time.
The home side led 4-1 but got pegged back to 4-3 after Georgia forward Georges Mikautadze struck two late goals. Brest trimmed Paris Saint-Germain's big lead to 10 points with only six games left.
Brest has never finished higher than eighth in its history, and Europe's elite competition is within reach for the small club from Brittany. Governing body UEFA recently visited the 15,000-seater Stade Francis Le Blé amid concerns it will not meet the norms to host Champions League games.
Metz took a surprise lead after six minutes when defender Ismaël Traoré turned in Lamine Camara's corner.
But the home fans enjoyed a 3-1 halftime scoreline thanks to goals from defender Brendan Chardonnet, midfielder Kamory Doumbia and striker Steve Mounié. Uruguay forward Martín Satriano headed in the fourth goal on the hour mark.
Metz again showed good attacking intent but is 17th in the 18-team league, with only six rounds left to avoid relegation after just one season in the top league.
Also Sunday, third-place Monaco beat Rennes 1-0 to stay within one point of Brest, with midfielder Maghnes Akliouche hitting a first-time shot from a left-wing cross in the 25th.
Both sides had a player sent off: Rennes forward Martin Terrier in the 47th for a dangerous tackle on Akliouche, and Monaco defender Thilo Kehrer for a second yellow in the 64th.
OTHER MATCHES
Nantes is just above the relegation zone after losing 3-1 at home to 10th-place Lyon in the late game, despite leading in the 16th minute through forward Matthis Abline.
Former France and Tottenham midfielder Moussa Sissoko was given too much room and advanced unchallenged before spreading the ball right to Florent Mollet, whose cross from the right was neatly headed inside the right post by Abline.
Veteran striker Alexandre Lacazette equalized in the 75th for French Cup finalist Lyon with his 14th league goal of the season, before 19-year-old forward Malick Fofana scored two minutes later and Gift Orban wrapped up the win seven minutes into injury time.
Fifth-place Nice drew 0-0 at Reims, and Toulouse vs. Strasbourg also finished scoreless.
Téji Savanier's second-half penalty and an injury-time goal from substitute Yann Karamoh gave 13th-place Montpellier a 2-0 home win against Lorient.
PSG was held 1-1 at home by rock-bottom Clermont on Saturday.
