Sergi Darder scored his first goal in the French league as Lyon beat Toulouse 3-0 Friday to revive its stuttering campaign. Three days after a 3-1 defeat at Zenit Saint-Petersburg that all but ended Lyon's hopes of reaching the knockout stage of the Champions League, Hubert Fournier's side bounced back with only its fifth win in all competitions this season. Spanish midfielder Darder, who joined during the offseason from Malaga for a reported fee of 12 million euros, put the hosts ahead in the 18th minute from Mathieu Valbuena's assist following a nice collective move. Darder connected with Valbuena's cross in the box, controlled the ball with his chest and slotted home with a simple finish. Valbuena also scored his first goal for Lyon to make it 2-0 two minutes with a powerful strike from the edge of the box that left keeper Ali Ahamada stranded and substitute Maxwell Cornet, also bagging his maiden goal for Lyon, added more luster to the win in added time. Lyon, who has been hampered by injuries since the start of the season, cut its deficit to leader Paris Saint-Germain to seven points and climbed to fourth place in the standings. Earlier, goals from Yacine Bammou and Adrien Thomasson helped Nantes to a 2-0 win at Caen for its third straight victory. The win ended Caen's run of three consecutive wins and lifted Nantes to eighth place, 10 points behind leader Paris Saint-Germain. Hamburg prevails Pierre-Michel Lasogga scored two minutes from time Friday as Hamburger SV beat Hoffenheim 1-0 in the Bundesliga. That defeat increased the pressure on Hoffenheim coach Markus Gisdol following his side's dismal start to the season after one win from its opening 10 matches. A second consecutive league loss has left Hoffenheim second from bottom one point ahead of Augsburg. Rayo blanks Espanyol Rayo Vallecano ended a run of three consecutive league defeats following a 3-0 home win against Espanyol Friday. Roberto Trashorras' first-half penalty and two goals in two minutes from Javier Guerra moved Rayo four points clear of the relegation zone. The host got the breakthrough after Espanyol defender Enzo Roco felled Guerra in the area. Trashorras converted the spot kick for in the 36th minute for a half-time lead. Espanyol was reduced to 10 after midfielder Victor Sanchez was sent off for a second yellow in the 66th. Guerra scored in the 76th and soon after unleashed a powerful effort from distance for his sixth goal in seven league matches, equaling Cristiano Ronaldo's and Karim Benzema's tally this season. Burgui failed to take advantage of a stoppage-time penalty for Espanyol when goalkeeper Antonio Rodriguez parried his effort. — Agencies
