Lille wins at Metz to move six points clear in Ligue 1

Lille moved six points ahead of title rival Paris Saint-Germain with a 2-0 win over Metz.

Zeki Celik celebrates with his team-mates after scoring Lille’s second goal.

French league leader Lille won at Metz 2-0 on Friday to move six points ahead of title rival Paris Saint-Germain.

MATCH CENTRE

Lille was indebted to goalkeeper Mike Maignan, who stopped an early penalty from Metz forward Aaron Leya Iseka and made two other key saves before Lille scored through Burak Yilmaz in the 59th minute. The veteran Turkey striker latched onto a fine pass from attacking midfielder Renato Sanches and slammed a shot into the top right corner for his 10th league goal.

Yilmaz's countryman, Zeki Celik, netted late on with a powerful effort to ensure the win and pile the pressure on defending champion Paris Saint-Germain. Lille has won and drawn against PSG without conceding a goal and is looking in championship form.

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Coach Christophe Galtier's side has the fewest defeats in the league (three) and allowed the least goals (19) after 32 rounds.

Paris Saint-Germain is at Strasbourg on Saturday. Other title challengers Monaco and Lyon are playing on Sunday, with third-placed Monaco hosting last-placed Dijon, and fourth-placed Lyon facing mid-table Angers.