Lyon draws 0-0 with Marseille in French league

Second-place Lyon hardly mustered a shot on target and failed to break down a resilient Marseille team that is fighting to hold on to third spot. The draw puts PSG four points ahead of Lyon at the top with 10 rounds remaining. PSG, which lost last weekend, labored to a 2-1 home win against Nancy on Saturday.

"We have to start winning games at (Stade) Gerland if we want to last the pace, and I think that's what will happen," Lyon coach Remi Garde said. "It was important to win this game and we tried everything in the second half. It wasn't very exciting but in terms of intensity we gave everything we could and that's what I told my players."

Marseille started the game brightly before quickly fading and is seven points adrift of PSG and only two ahead of Saint-Etienne and Nice.

Forward Modou Sougou cut in from the right wing early on, beating two players before his shot was deflected wide for a corner, and striker Andre-Pierre Gignac curled an effort just wide moments later after swapping passes with Mathieu Valbuena.

Lyon struggled to get going as Marseille's midfield, led by the tireless Joey Barton, won most of the tackles.

"Neither team wanted to concede the first goal. Marseille closed us down very high up and we really couldn't play," Garde said. "I didn't think they would close us down so high up. We couldn't pass the ball out from the back and our players were too far apart from each other."

Lyon started the second half with more urgency and midfielder Gueida Fofana went close with a toe-poke just wide in the 53rd, and Marseille goalkeeper Steve Mandanda was finally called into action into the 68th when he kept out center back Samuel Umtiti's shot.