PARIS (AP) — Alexandre Lacazette scored the only goal as host Lyon beat bitter local rival Saint-Etienne 1-0 to move up to fifth place in the French league on Sunday. Lacazette turned the ball in from close range with his knee in the 29th minute after midfielder Corentin Tolisso set up the former Arsenal forward with an overhead kick. Seven-time French champion Lyon moved one place and point above Nice, and one point behind Lille in fourth spot.
The match was interrupted after just two minutes by referee Willy Delajod because the amount of smoke lit from flares by the home fans made it too difficult to see the ball. It resumed several minutes later. Lyon goalkeeper Lucas Perri stopped Saint-Etienne’s only genuine chance in the 76th, foiling striker Ibrahim Sissoko in a one-on-one.
There were no visiting fans allowed because of the risk of clashes. A brutal fight in the center of Lyon four years ago involving around 150 rival fans led to several injuries . Earlier Sunday, midfielder Tom Louchet scored six minutes into second-half stoppage time to earn Nice a 2-2 home draw with Lille.
Although Lille extended its unbeaten run to 10 games overall, the northern side wasted the chance to overtake southern team Marseille and move into third place. Lille is one point behind Marseille. Lille took the lead in the 17th minute when 19-year-old Belgian forward Matias Fernandez-Pardo broke free down the left and scored past goalkeeper Marcin Bulka.
Midfielder Sofiane Diop equalized in .