Ligue 1: Marseille miss out on top spot after another away defeat

Paris: Olympique de Marseille`s away form continued to undermine their French title ambitions on Friday when they were beaten 2-1 at 10-man Nice on Friday.

Marcelo Bielsa`s side have not won on the road in Ligue 1 since October and mid-table Nice`s third straight win means Olympique Lyonnais will remain top at the end of the weekend irrespective of Sunday`s visit of Metz.

Defender Romain Genevois netted from close range early in the second half after Marseille failed to deal with a free kick into the box but a second yellow card for Kevin Gomis quickly threatened the home team`s chances.

Nice, though, went 2-0 up through Niklas Hult`s first league goal of the season when he scored unmarked at the back post and although Florian Thauvin pulled one back 13 minutes from time, the Cote d`Azur side were good value for the win.

Second-placed Marseille have 44 points from 22 games, one behind Lyon and three more than faltering champions Paris St Germain who travel to St Etienne on Sunday.