METZ, France (AP) — Struggling Metz held high-flying Lille to 0-0 at home but the point was not enough to lift it off the bottom of Ligue 1 on Friday.

Metz had not won in eight games and it looked second best for much of the match against a team whose early season promise had tapered out after a run of four league defeats.

But visiting Lille could not breach a staunch Metz defense.

Lille had to settle for fifth place, six points behind Lyon.

Metz remained rooted to the bottom of the table with the same points as Auxerre and a point behind Nantes, both of which have a game in hand.

Six points separate the last three from safety.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer