Nearly six months after their last victory, seven-time champions Lyon have finally got back to winning ways in the French league by beating 10-man Rennes 1-0.
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That ended a 10-game winless run this season in Ligue 1 for Lyon, whose previous win dated back last term to May 27, a 3-0 defeat of Reims.
"It's a big release. We've been waiting for this win for a long time," Lyon midfielder Corentin Tolisso said on Sunday.
Irish center back Jake O'Brien headed home from a corner in the 62nd minute in the Brittany city to secure a morale-boosting win.
"I feel very proud, and I'd like to thank the fans who made the trip," said O'Brien, who joined Lyon during the off-season.
"We'll be able to build on this victory for the future. We approach every game as if it were our last, and we've been unlucky in the last few games."
Despite the win, Lyon remain at the bottom of the standings with just seven points from 11 games.
The prospect of relegation still remains for a storied club known for their record run of seven straight league titles from 2002 to 2008. The last time Lyon played in the second division was during the 1988-89 season.
The defeat extended 13th-place Rennes' own winless run to five matches.
Elsewhere, Lille were held to a 1-1 home draw by Toulouse to extend their unbeaten run to six matches and moved to fourth in the standings. They are four points behind Monaco who drew 0-0 with Le Havre on Saturday, when PSG moved to the top of the league with a 3-0 win at Reims.
Last season's runners-up Lens continued their recovery with a 1-0 win over Marseille. The result extended the hosts' unbeaten run to seven matches after four losses in their five opening matches, moving up to sixth place, three points above 10th-place Marseille.
Also, Metz defeated Nantes 3-1 and Clermont beat Lorient 1-0.
Australian Associated Press
