Ghana's Majeed Waris targets French Ligue 1 survival with Lorient

Waris grabbed his ninth goal of the season in Lorient's 5-1 thrashing of Metz

Ghana striker Abdul Majeed Waris has put French club Lorient's Ligue 1 survival above personal glory after his ninth goal of the season helped the club claim a 5-1 win over Metz.

Lorient needed a victory on Saturday to keep their survival hopes alive.

Michael Ciani opened the scoring before Waris added a second and Jimmy Cabot scored a brace.

Cameroon's Nations Cup-winning captain Benjamin Moukandjo added his 13th of the season to seal a comprehensive win.

The Brittany-based club currently lie 16th in the Ligue 1 table, two points above the relegation zone with four games left.

But the 25-year-old forward believes the victory against Metz can give his side a much-needed boost.

Waris hopes to help keep Lorient in France's top division - to end the season on a high

"I was excited to get on the scoresheet, but the most important thing was that the team got a very important win, so I am very happy," Waris told BBC Sport.

"The players gave everything on the pitch and we got our rewards. We deserved it and it was a fantastic performance.

"We are happy with this win and we need to win more games now because the important thing this season is that we stay in Ligue 1."

Waris previously suffered relegation in France with Valenciennes in 2014, despite scoring an impressive nine goals in 16 games that season.

But the Black Star - who was a surprise omission from the Ghana squad for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations - hopes his experience and mental strength will help Lorient's bid for survival.

"If we continue working hard for the rest of the season I believe we'll win games away and at home," he said.

"We have players with strong mental ability and the will to survive, so we have to make the most of that.

"The atmosphere in the changing room after the game against Metz was fantastic. Hopefully it's the start of many more here."

Lorient travel to Nantes next weekend, then host Angers on 5 May, followed by a trip to bottom-placed SC Bastia, before hosting Bordeaux on the final day of the season on 20 May.