Troyes boost survival hopes

Troyes continued their gutsy last-ditch bid for Ligue 1 survival with a 1-0 win at Ajaccio on Saturday night.

Troyes continued their gutsy last-ditch bid for Ligue 1 survival with a 1-0 win at Ajaccio on Saturday night. Jean Marc Furlan's men climbed off the bottom of the standings last weekend by beating Evian and they are now just a point from safety thanks to Florian Jarjat's first-half strike in Corsica. It was Troyes' third win in four league matches but defeat means Ajaccio are not mathematically safe yet as they are five points above the bottom three with two rounds remaining. Stephane Darbion went close for the visitors inside the first 10 minutes but he failed to test Ajaccio goalkeeper Guillermo Ochoa with a header from Mohamed Yattara's cross. However, Troyes' direct approach paid off just after the quarter-hour mark when the visitors took the lead from a corner. Darbion was involved again and his delivery was nodded beyond Ochoa at the near post by Jarjat to send Furlan's men into the lead. Ajaccio offered an instant reaction but Paul Lasne fired wide of the right post from just inside the area after Benjamin Andre had picked him out. The hosts continued to press and Lasne went even closer when his 25-yard effort shaved the left post of Yoann Thuram's goal. Adrian Mutu also tried his luck for Ajaccio just before the break, but the Romanian fired over and Troyes went into the interval with an important lead. Ajaccio almost produced an equaliser 15 minutes after the restart when Dennis Oliech pounced on a loose Jeremie Brechet back-pass, but the Kenyan's effort from a tight angle was kept out by the right arm of Thuram. Yattara was guilty of wasting a great opportunity for the visitors to double their lead moments later when, faced with only goalkeeper Ochoa, he fired wide of the target. Time was running out for Ajaccio in their hunt for an equaliser but Andy Delort had one last chance when he curled a free-kick goalwards with seven minutes remaining, which Thuram matched with a firm one-handed save that turned out to be the final action of the game.