Lorient beats Saint-Etienne 2-0

Nov 22, 2009 - 10:15 PM By SAMUEL PETREQUIN AP Sports Writer

PARIS(AP) -- Striker Marama Vahirua and defender Franco Sebastian Sosa scored in the first half to give Lorient a 2-0 win at struggling Saint-Etienne on Sunday that moved it up to fourth in the French standings.

Saint-Etienne lost its eighth game this season and stayed in 17th place just above the relegation zone. Lorient has 24 points from 13 matches, two behind league leader Auxerre.

"We are dreaming of moving even higher, but it's only a dream," Vahirua said. "We're happy with our position and we're not getting carried away. We're just showing the big teams that if they make a mistake, we can make life difficult for them."

The home side got off to a dismal start, conceding twice in the first 17 minutes. Vahirua scored his sixth goal of the season after only four minutes, curling a free kick in the top corner that left goalkeeper Jeremy Janot stranded.

Sosa added the second when he outjumped the Saint-Etienne defence to beat Janot with a header at the far post.

Saint-Etienne coach Alain Perrin said he will have a meeting with his players on Monday.

"We are asking ourselves a lot of questions and I don't have the answers," Perrin said. "We fought back in the second half but we didn't have the presence of mind needed to get a goal."

Also Sunday, Colombian striker Victor Hugo Montano scored twice as promoted Montpellier defeated Lille 2-0 to move up to fifth in the standings.

Montpellier, which ended a three-match winless streak, has 24 points but trails Lorient on goal difference.

Left unmarked by the defense, Montano volleyed home from Joris Marvaux's free kick in the 65th minute and took his goal tally for the season to four. He doubled the lead in the 87th after latching on to a cross from the left and firing a low shot past Lille goalkeeper Mickael Landreau.

France striker Loic Remy scored from the spot in the 50th minute to give Nice a 1-0 win over Toulouse and its fourth consecutive victory. Nice was awarded the penalty after left-back Cheikh M'Bengue handled the ball in the box.

"The result is a bit unfair when you look at the way we controlled the game," Toulouse coach Alain Casanova said. As for the penalty award, he added: "Although we had a meeting with the referees at the start of the season, I still don't understand how they decide whether a handball is a penalty or not."

On Saturday, Auxerre took advantage of defending champion Bordeaux's 1-0 home loss against Valenciennes to take top spot with a 2-0 win over Monaco.

Auxerre, which leads the standings for the first time in seven years, has 26 points, one clear of both Bordeaux and Lyon, which was held to a 1-1 draw at last-place Grenoble.