Montpellier up to ninth

A solitary goal by Emanuel Herrera guided Montpellier to a narrow win over Nancy as they moved up to ninth in Ligue 1.

A solitary goal by Emanuel Herrera guided Montpellier to a narrow win over Nancy as they moved up to ninth in Ligue 1. Herrera struck after 34 minutes when he headed home but it was not a dominant performance by Montpellier in any way with Thomas Mangani hitting the bar for the visitors as time wore down. While Montpellier are in mid-table, Nancy are rock-bottom, their mini-revival apparently over with two successive defeats. It was the strugglers though who first showed as an attacking unit, Lossemy Karaboue's low 20-yard drive blocked by Montpellier goalkeeper Geoffrey Jourdren. Montpellier responded with Herrera unleashing a shot on target from an acute angle which Damien Gregorini blocked but the same player put the hosts ahead 11 minutes before the break, heading home Anthony Mounier's cross from the right. Five minutes before the break visiting goalkeeper Gregorini denied John Utaka to keep the scoreline down to a single goal. Gregorini then blocked Daniel Congre's instant fired shot before Jourdren punched away Mangani's low drive fromt he edge of the area. With seven minutes left the woodwork rescued Montpellier when Mangani's right-footed shot from close range hit the bar and although Utaka was denied by Gregorini, it was Nancy who nearly scored the next goal, Jourdren called on to deflect Djamel Bakar's volley for a corner in injury time.