Malouda goal sends Lyon 14 points clear

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PARIS, Nov 26 (Reuters) -Champions Olympique Lyon charged 14 points clear at the top of Ligue 1 after winning 1-0 at home to Auxerre on Sunday. France midfielder Florent Malouda headed the only goal from a Juninho free kick on 25 minutes as Lyon left Lille, Racing Lens and Sochaux trailing in their wake with four matches remaining before the winter break. Lyon, with 40 points from 15 games, are trying to become the first team from a major European league to win six domestic titles in succession. "It was maybe not spectacular but we played well and did what we had to do," coach Gerard Houllier told reporters. "To be in the lead halfway through the season will please our fans but to me it means nothing." Earlier, troubled Paris St Germain drew 1-1 with fellow strugglers Nantes in the capital side's first match since one of their fans was shot dead by a policeman. Ivory Coast forward Bonaventure Kalou struck from the edge of the box in the first minute before Nantes levelled against the run of play through captain Frederic Da Rocha on 75. PSG climbed one spot to 13th in the 20-team division while Nantes remained third from bottom. SILENT MARCH Chairman Alain Cayzac dismissed media reports he had decided to sack PSG coach Guy Lacombe. "It would be totally incompetent for me to let Guy Lacombe down now," said Cayzac. "He will still be on the bench when we play Toulouse next weekend." About 200 PSG fans took part in a silent march around the stadium before a match played under tight scrutiny. No incidents were reported. Julien Quemener, a 25-year-old PSG fan, was shot dead by a policeman following the 4-2 defeat by Hapoel Tel Aviv in the UEFA Cup on Thursday. Witnesses said the policeman opened fire on a mob of PSG fans who were chasing a Jewish supporter of the Israeli team outside the Parc des Princes. The policeman, who said he had acted in self-defence, has not been charged. The fan was a member of the Boulogne Boys, a group of supporters comprising far-right sympathisers, some registered by police as violent. PSG hooligans ransacked a motorway service station near Nantes on their way back from a league match there last season.