Marseille secures 2nd place after Saint-Etienne collapses

PARIS (AP) — Marseille has consolidated second place in the French league by rallying past relegation-threatened Saint-Etienne 4-2 in a game full of blunders. Gabon striker Denis Bouanga gave Saint-Etienne the lead in the ninth minute by shooting past goalkeeper Pau Lopez, who made an embarrassing handling mistake. Saint-Etienne then self-destructed by conceding two penalties and scoring an own goal. Strasbourg has emerged as a surprise contender in the race for European spots after edging Lens 1-0 to climb up to fourth place. Monaco edged lowly Metz 2-1 to move into sixth. In his French league debut, Brazilian winger Tete kept Lyon’s slim European hopes alive in a 3-2 victory over Angers.