Lyon teen Gaetan Perrin turns tides to push side to third in Ligue 1

Teenaged substitute Gaetan Perrin turned the tide as a late Lyon rally saw them climb to third in Ligue 1 with a 2-0 home win over Nantes on Saturday.

While champions Paris Saint-Germain celebrate their latest Ligue 1 title at home to second placed AS Monaco on Sunday, the race for the third Champions League spot is wide open.

Lyon went into the game in fourth and had been regretting a series of spurned chances before the impressive Rachid Ghezzal dribbled round four Nantes defenders and lashed a shot at goal in the 83rd minute.

The shot was deflected by a desperate defender, but Perrin, who had been on the pitch just two minutes, was in the right place to nod the ball home.

Last season’s Ligue 1 stand out striker Alexandre Lacazette then converted a penalty four minutes into stoppage time after he had been tripped in the area, delivering a deserved 2-0 win.

The opener had come just as Nantes looked like they would emerge from the game with more than a point when a period of pressure saw Adrian Thomasson’s shot from the edge of the area for Nantes fizz just wide.

But Bruno Genesio’s Lyon dug deep to suggest they might have what it takes for a late run for Europe.

They never stopped working for the three points despite the disappointment of a series of near misses in the first half, culminating with a Ghezzal shot hitting the crossbar.

Lyon have 49 points in third while Rennes, who hammered Marseille 5-2 away on Friday, have 48, Nice have 47 but play minnows Gazelec-Ajaccio Sunday, while Caen have 46 after beating rock-bottom Troyes 2-1.

A further place behind and after three defeats in four games, Saint-Etienne got their push for Europe back on course with a late flurry of goals to win 3-0 at home to Montpellier.

In another relegation struggle Guingamp climbed five points above the drop zone when they clinched a 1-0 win at Reims courtesy of their Senegalese striker Younousse Sankare’s 26th minute shot.

Morgan Amalfitano got his first goal of the season to hand mid-table Lille a 1-0 victory over second-bottom Toulouse

Meanwhile, troubled Bordeaux play their first game under new interim coach Ulrich Rame when they entertain Bastia on Sunday.

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What the law says

Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.

“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.

“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”

If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.

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