The leading trio of Troyes, Nancy and Le Mans have opened up a five-point lead at the top of the Ligue 2 standings with just six games left to play.

Troyes’ 1-0 win over Gueugnon, courtesy of Argentine Emmanuel Perrone’s second-half strike, means the side from the capital of Champagne maintained its two-point lead over eastern rivals Nancy who edged Créteil by the same scoreline thanks to Elie Kroupi’s solitary strike on 43 minutes.

Third place Le Mans accounted for Angers 2-0 with a goal in each half from George Ba and Désiré Périatambée.

Meanwhile, Reims’ 3-1 loss to Lorient meant the end of the road for Coach Ladislas Lozano, who was relieved of his duties after seeing his side drop to 15th in the standings. Lorient striker Bakary Koné’s two goals saw him retake the Ligue’s top scorer spot, taking his tally to 19 for the season.

At the other end of the table, bottom-placed Niort continued their late rally for Ligue 2 survival with a 3-1 win over Amiens. Niort’s second win on the trot, which included another double from former Spartak Moscow striker Obiorah, sees the side just one point from the safety zone.

Laval 2-2 Sedan
Belhadj (S) 12, Macé (L) 24, Gagnier (S) 57, Mienniel (L) 67

Troyes 1-0 Gueugnon
Perrone 74

Nancy 1-0 Créteil
Kroupi 43

Angers 0-2 Le Mans
Ba 2, Périatambée 80

Châteauroux 1-2 Brest
Fortuné (B) 15, Maurice (C) 42, Malm (B) 91

Dijon 0-0 Le Havre

Montpellier 3-1 Grenoble
Cissé (M) 22, 57, Kamissoko (G) 27, Bugnet (M) 38

Guingamp 3-1 Clermont

Abriel (G) 14, Dagano (G) 45, Poyet (C) 66, Robert (G) 74

Niort 3-1 Amiens
Obiorah (N) 28, 35, Rivière (N) 46, Camara (A) 61

Lorient 3-1 Reims
Robson (L) 18, Koné (L) 30, 60, Didot (R) 82