Lyon stumbles to defeat at Evian

Lyon's losing streak increased to four matches after being defeated 2-1 at Evian in the French league on Saturday.

Striker Kevin Berigaud twice exposed poor defending to put Evian 2-0 up at halftime before midfielder Jordan Ferri pulled a goal back shortly after the break.

Lyon lost 1-0 to Reims last weekend and failed to reach the Champions League's group stage after being defeated twice by Real Sociedad.

Failure to qualify will impact on the club's precarious finances. Lyon needs money and president Jean-Michel Aulas is trying to sell star striker Bafetimbi Gomis before the summer transfer window closes Monday night - - with Premier League club Newcastle eager to sign him - but the striker so far refuses to go and has been banished from the first team.

Lyon has one of the most highly reputed academies in European football and Ferri was one of five homegrown players in the starting lineup with a further six on the bench. It would have been six in the starting team, but midfielder Clement Grenier was absent.

Striker Kevin Berigaud gave Evian the lead in the eighth minute when he ran onto Olivier Sorlin's pass behind the defense and finished with a powerful shot. Cedric Barbosa should have made it 2-0 just minutes later, but missed an easy chance in front of goal.

For his second goal in the 33rd, Beriguad easily found a gap between center halves Bakary Kone and Milan Bisevac before giving goalkeeper Anthony Lopes no chance with a clinical finish.

Ferri's first league goal in professional football came when he picked up a loose ball and drilled a powerful shot into the top corner in the 49th.

Later Saturday, big-spending Paris Saint-Germain was hosting newly-promoted Guingamp.

Also, it is: Bastia vs. Toulouse; Lorient vs. Valenciennes; Reims vs. Nantes; Rennes vs. Lille; and Sochaux vs. Ajaccio.

Leader Marseille takes on second-place Monaco, Saint-Etienne hosts Bordeaux, and Nice faces Montpellier in Sunday's games.