Neymar stretchered off in PSG’s defeat to Lyon

Paris: Paris Saint-Germain have been deprived of the top spot in Ligue 1 after the three-time defending champion was beaten by Lyon 1-0 at home.

Sunday’s slump for PSG at the Parc des Princes sent the first place to Lille, who defeated Bordeaux 2-1 earlier in the day. Lyon is second on goal difference while PSG is one point off in third. Marseille is fourth one further point behind but with two games in hand, reports Xinhua news agency.

What added to the woes of the capital club was the injury of its ace forward Neymar, who was screaming in agony and clutching his ankle after a heavy tackle from Thiago Mendes. The Brazilian star was carried off on a stretcher and Mendes was shown a direct red card.

“No news about Neymar,” PSG’s head coach Thomas Tuchel said after the game, which was the fourth defeat for PSG this season.

“He’s with the physio and the doctors and we have to wait for the test tomorrow,” Tuchel added.

Tino Kadewere scored in the first half to help Lyon extend its unbeaten run to 11 games. The host allowed its rival only 35 percent ball possession but struggled to find a gap in the committed defence as only one of its seven attempts was on target, while the visitor had five on target from nine shots.

“We were never ready to play this game. The team was very tired mentally, we made a lot of mistakes and didn’t play with enough rhythm and confidence,” Tuchel said. “We did not concentrate enough.”

The last win for Lyon at the Parc des Princes was in the 2007-2008 season, the last time it won the league title.

“We defended well, we destroyed their strength, and then played well enough in attack to score at least once,” said Lyon coach Rudi Garcia.

Also on Sunday, early league frontrunner Rennes was back to winning form, beating Nice 1-0 away to secure its first victory since November.