Lille stop rot, Khlifa floors Montpellier

LILLE-METROPOLE – Lille won 2-0 at home to Ajaccio on Saturday to claim only their second win of the campaign in Ligue One, but misfiring champions Montpellier slumped to 15th place after losing to an 89th-minute goal at home to Evian.

Lille, the 2011 champions, have made a dreadful start to the season, winning just two of their first 11 games in all competitions, but victory at a rain-lashed Grand Stade gave them a first win since the opening weekend.

Benoit Pedretti struck the angle of post and bar for Lille with a free-kick in the 32nd minute, but the hosts took the lead 10 minutes later when Nolan Roux converted Mathieu Debuchy’s cross with a thumping header after a neat build-up.

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