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An 85th-minute winner from Jeffinho gave Lyon a 1-0 away victory against AS Monaco on Friday, moving the seven-times Ligue 1 champions out of the automatic relegation spots.
Two minutes after entering the fray, Brazilian Jeffinho swept in his first goal of the season as Lyon won successive games for the first time this campaign to jump provisionally to 16th place in the table.
The win is just Lyon’s third, and interim coach Pierre Sage’s second, of the season and follows on from last Sunday’s 3-0 home victory against Toulouse.
“Beyond the three points, what made me smile was seeing the players happy,” Sage said to Prime Video.
The first half was evenly disputed with Monaco dominating the play and the chances, and the visitors looking to catch the principality side on the break.
In the second period, the home side pressed forward, with Mohamed Camara glancing a right-footed effort off the outside of the post seven minutes after the break.
Captain Youssouf Fofana then dragged an effort wide just before the hour and Folarin Balogun pulled a shot narrowly past the post from the edge of the box.
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Anthony Lopes then came to Lyon’s rescue on 67 minutes by making a fine diving save to deny Balogun after his side failed to clear a set-piece.
But the game was changed when Sage sent on Ainsley Maitland-Niles in the 72nd minute and then Jeffinho 11 minutes later.
The substitutes combined with five minutes remaining when the ex-Arsenal man’s cross found the Brazilian striker near the penalty spot and he beat Philipp Koehn with his first-time strike.
Monaco remains third in the table and risks falling further behind leaders Paris Saint-Germain and Nice, which play away to Lille and Le Havre later in the weekend.
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