Lille seriously compromised their title hopes on Sunday when a 1-1 draw at Lorient left the Ligue 1 leaders with just a two-point lead on Olympique de Marseille, who have a game in hand.
Lille have taken just two points from their last three games, while Marseille are powering ahead and will be boosted by retaining the League Cup title on Saturday when they host mid-table Nice on Wednesday.
Largely dominated on the Brittany side’s controversial plastic pitch, Lille were also hampered by the absence of injured midfielder Florent Balmont.
Photo: AFP
The northerners nevertheless opened the scoring two minutes before the break when Mathieu Debuchy picked up a cross from Senegalese international Moussa Sow, only for striker Kevin Gameiro to grab the equalizer with his 18th of the season after 68 minutes.
Earlier, Paris Saint-Germain lost ground in the title race when a 2-2 draw at Stade Brestois 29.
After Mathieu Bodmer had given Antoine Kombouare’s men a 20th-minute lead fortune refused to smile on the visitors, who were ultimately fortunate to rescue a point.
In a frantic end to the opening period, Brest, who have fallen away badly after a bright first half of the campaign, turned things around as first Guinean Larsen Toure leveled in the 27th minute, before Bruno Grougi put them into the lead in first-half stoppage-time.
By then, PSG had suffered the loss of veteran goalkeeper Gregory Coupet, who had to go off with a back injury.
On came Apoula Edel, who promptly conceded — by fouling Toure — then saved a penalty. Unfortunately for Edel, although he beat out Grougi’s kick, Toure knocked in the rebound.
Grougi had a smile back on his face after firing in the second following a Toure cross from the right.
Just as it seemed that PSG had nothing left to offer, they clawed their way back with three minutes left, Ahmed Kantari putting through his own net under pressure from the marauding Guillaume Hoarau.
Girondins de Bordeaux thanked goals from Jaroslav Plasil and Malian Cheikh Diabate to see off Saint-Etienne as they leapfrogged Les Verts into sixth place.
At the wrong end of the table, Honduran Georgie Welcome netted within three minutes of coming on to give Monaco a precious 1-0 win over Stade Rennais.
The three points took les Rouges et Blanc not only out of the drop zone, but out of the bottom six after Auxerre and Lens drew 1-1.
Nancy, like Monaco, are two points better off than Caen after a goalless home draw with already relegated Arles-Avignon, while Caen did not help their cause after they could only draw 1-1 at home to Toulouse.
In Sunday’s other match, Valenciennes were held at home 1-1 by Sochaux.
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Shohei Ohtani’s interpreter is being criminally investigated by the IRS, and the attorney for his alleged bookmaker said Thursday that the ex-Los Angeles Dodgers employee placed bets on international soccer — but not baseball. The IRS confirmed Thursday that interpreter Ippei Mizuhara and Mathew Bowyer, the alleged illegal bookmaker, are under criminal investigation through the agency’s Los Angeles Field Office. IRS Criminal Investigation spokesperson Scott Villiard said he could not provide additional details. Mizuhara, 39, was fired by the Dodgers on Wednesday following reports from the Los Angeles Times and ESPN about his alleged ties to an illegal bookmaker and debts well
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