SOCCER - SMICER 'S LAST-GASP GOAL KEEPS LENS IN THE LEAD .
PARIS 1996-08-28
Euro 96 star Vladimir Smicer of the Czech Republic scored at the last second for Lens , allowing them to retain the lead in the French soccer league on Wednesday .
Smicer pushed the ball home in injury time to lead his team to a 3-2 victory over Montpellier , who were leading 2-1 until Cameroon 's Marc-Vivien Foe equalised on a header in the 85th minute .
The win was the fourth in as many matches this season for Lens , who lead the table on 12 points .
In-form Paris St Germain , who dismissed Nantes 1-0 , are second with 10 points .
Along with Smicer , Robert Pires was the star of the night in France , scoring the first hat-trick of the league season in Metz 's 3-1 home victory over neighbouring Strasbourg .
Pires , one of the most promising strikers in the country , was called up for the first time this week by French manager Aime Jacquet for a friendly against Mexico on Saturday at the Parc des Princes .
Pires scored first with a powerful shot in the 35th minute before striking again from close range just before the break .
A solitary raid allowed him to score his third in the 74th .
Smicer 's goal was as hard-won as his team 's victory .
Spurred by Foe 's leveller five minutes before , Lens pressed hard and Foe hit the crossbar in the dying seconds on another header .
The ball bounced back to Smicer 's feet and he scored .
Montpellier seized an unexpected lead thanks to Kader Ferhaoui in the fourth minute after a blunder from Lens goalkeeper Jean-Claude Nadon .
The side from northern France , forced to fight an uphill battle from then on , pulled level thanks to Tony Vairelles in the eighth minute but young striker Fabien Lefevre made it two for Montpellier five minutes later .
League favourites PSG scored a convincing 1-0 win over Nantes and confirmed they would again be the team to beat this season .
Ironically , PSG 's victory owed a lot to two former Nantes players , striker Patrice Loko , who scored on a brilliant shot in the 33rd minute , and defender Benoit Cauet , who started the one-two which allowed Loko to score .
The Parisians , who have yet to concede a goal , were without Brazil 's Leonardo and Panama 's Julio Cesar Dely Valdes , both called up by their national sides .
For Nantes , who shocked PSG to win the league crown two years ago , the fall is very painful .
The Canaries , who lost most of their key players within two years , have yet to win a match this season .
Reigning champions Auxerre had to settle for a goalless draw against Marseille on Tuesday .