At the bottom of the table Auxerre had lost their last four games without scoring; however, their scoring drought seemed to end after 13 minutes when Rudy Matondo struck the ball past Greif from the edge of the box.

Nevertheless, to the frustration of most fans in the stadium, referee Thomas Leonard controversially disallowed the goal due to a foul in the buildup.

There would have been even greater frustration if Donovan Leon had not made an outstanding one-handed save to deny Martin Satriano’s powerful shot from finding the net shortly after.

Leonard briefly regained favor with the home supporters by awarding a penalty after Moussa Niakhate unfairly shoved Sekou Mara off the ball.

However, the early joy of the Diplomates’ fans turned to despair as Greif expertly guessed the direction of Lassine Sinayoko’s powerful penalty kick and saved it.

The hosts kept pressing for a goal, but Mara’s first-time effort was well-stopped by Lyon’s first-half hero, Greif, as an eventful 45 minutes concluded.

Not at his attacking best in the first half, Lyon’s young Portuguese talent Afonso Moreira almost made an instant impact after the break with a soaring header in the 48th minute that seemed destined for the corner.

Yet, Leon arguably made an even better one-handed save than earlier, keeping the score level.

Spectacular saves dominated Sunday’s match at Stade de l’Abbé-Deschamps, with Greif also tipping Sinayoko’s fierce shot from inside the box over the crossbar.

Unlike much of the match, the second half gradually lost its excitement, as Greif completed his excellent display by denying Danny Namaso with another expert save in the 82nd minute.

A goalkeeping duel between Greif and Leon earned Lyon and Auxerre a share of the points at Stade de l’Abbé-Deschamps, but Auxerre have only two wins in 13 games this season (D2, L9).

Meanwhile, European hopefuls Lyon, missing eight players due to injuries and suspensions, will likely consider a point away at the league’s last-placed team a decent result.

Flashscore Man of the Match:Dominik Greif (Lyon)

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