Ligue 2 Review #25: Dunkerque hot on the heels of PFC, De Zakarian earns draw in Caen debut

USL Dunkerque's fairytale campaign is continuing as we enter a decisive phase of the Ligue 2 BKT season. Les Maritimes managed to beat a struggling Clermont side in a dominant 3-0 victory at Stade Marcel Tribut, with Enzo Bardeli kicking things off with a resounding strike from the edge of the box to score his sixth goal of the season. The tricky Frenchman then put the ball on a plate for January signing Alsaad to nod home for a second goal. Two would then  become three when Ugo Raghouber swept home in the 50th minute to seal the three points.

WATCH: Dunkerque dominate Clermont to put pressure on promotion rivals

Les Maritimes now sit just one point behind second spot, with Metz dropping out of the promotion places following a shock loss to AC Ajaccio. Paris FC would be the side to take advantage of Metz's misfortune, rising into the promotion spots.

Safe to say, Les Parisiens got the job done against ESTAC Troyes (1-0), with manager Stéphane Gilli acutely aware of the potential for a banana skin fixture against the side from the l'Aube region. A tight and tetchy fixture at Stade Charléty would finally see the deadlock broken by none other than Maxime Lopez, who drilled a strike from the edge of the box in the 80th minute.

WATCH: Maxime Lopez provides moment of magic in Paris FC win over Troyes

Meanwhile, league leaders Lorient fell to a 0-1 to Laval at Stade de la Moustoir - ending a run of five straight victories with a defeat to the Mayenne side. Amin Cherni nodded in Thibault Vargas' perfectly placed cross in the 87th minute, as Les Merlus' lead over Paris FC has now been cut to just three points. Another side which slipped up was Metz, with an enormous error from goalkeeper Arnaud Bodert allowing Ben Hamed Traoré to simply nod home to put the Corsicans into the lead right at the death (90+1'). It came as a big relief for Ajaccio, who managed to rise into the top half of the table with their fourth win in their last five Ligue 2 BKT encounters.

WATCH: League leaders Lorient fall to defeat against Laval

Michel De Zakarian took over the reigns at Stade Malherbe de Caen last week, and with a visit from owner Kylian Mbappé to remotivate the players, the Normands were under huge pressure to stop their historic run of defeats from worsening what is still a dire situation in the table for Les Vikings. "You have to go through grey before you get to white," summed up goalscorer Romain Thomas after Caen were held 2-2 at Stade Michel Ornano on Saturday afternoon.

Caen were in the driving seat when Romain Thomas put Les Vikings 2-1 ahead in the second half, all after a sending off for Pau's Xavier Kouassi and Alexandre Mendy's missed penalty for the hosts. Yet Pathé Mboup would step up emphatically to convert a penalty in the 71st minute to kill-off Caen's hopes of earning a much-needed victory. 10 matches are left for Caen to try and dig themselves out of a dire situation, with each one surely considered like a Cup Final for De Zakarian's men. 

WATCH: Caen held by Pau in four-goal thriller

Around the grounds in Ligue 2 BKT

• Martigues beat Annecy 2-0 claim to go within four points of Clermont in the relegation play-off spot. 
• Bastia overcame Red Star at home to consolidate their mid-table position and get back to winning ways. 
• Grenoble and Guingamp played out a 1-1 draw at the Stade des Alpes, with the Bretons rising into the play-off spots on goal difference after Annecy's loss to Martigues. 

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>>Ligue 2 Review #24: Red Star boost safety hopes as Metz jump into promotion spots