体坛英语新闻：Marseille lose to Nantes, Lille move up to third place

PARIS, Feb. 22 (Xinhua) -- Second-placed Marseille saw their 14-game unbeaten run in French Ligue 1 snapped on Saturday with a 3-1 home defeat to mid-table team Nantes.

Belgian winger Anthony Limbombe met Abdoul Kader Bamba's cross in the 34th minute to head home and give the visitors a 1-0 lead. But it took only five minutes for Andre Villas-Boas' side to level the score when Morgan Sanson hit the target inside the penalty area.

Nantes took the lead again eight minutes into the second half as Bamba's goal was given after a long VAR check for offside.

"We weren't very good today, we lost the ball a lot and struggled to build play," Villas-Boas said.

"We had confidence that we could change the match when we equalized, but their second goal hit us hard."

Alvaro Gonzalez's own goal in stoppage time eventually sealed the win for Nantes 3-1.

The victory also helps Nantes climb to 10th on table and level on 37 points with Lyon, Nice and a Montpellier side who were beaten 1-0 by Angers on Saturday.

Despite the loss, Marseille are nine points clear of third-placed Lille, who defeated bottom side Toulouse 3-0 thanks to a brace from Loic Remy.

Although Lille currently occupy third, a place which would secure a spot in next season's Champions League qualifying stages, fourth-ranked Rennes have the chance to regain third when they host Nimes on Sunday.

League leaders Paris Saint-Germain, 10 points ahead of second-placed Marseille, will play Bordeaux at home on Sunday.

Elsewhere, Monaco's three-game winning streak came to an end at Dijon with a 1-1 draw. The point lifted Dijon out of the relegation zone on goal difference. On the other hand, Monoco missed the chance to cut the gap to the European competitions places.