French champions LOSC Lille Metropole missed the chance to go level on points with Ligue 1 leaders Olympique Lyonnais on Tuesday when they drew 1-1 away with out of form Girondins de Bordeaux.
It could have been worse for Lille — who drew for the third successive match — as Bordeaux’s Chieck Diabate missed a penalty 12 minutes from time.
Lille — who had let leads slip against both Sochaux-Montbeliard in the league and CSKA Moscow in last week’s opening Champions League group game — had gone behind to a Diabate penalty in the third minute, only for their Belgian star Eden Hazard to level in the 57th minute with a fine goal.
Photo: AFP
Lille lie fourth, two points adrift of Lyon, while Bordeaux have only one win in their seven matches so far and are just three points above the relegation places.
Lille coach Rudi Garcia said that he was not unhappy to have come away with a point.
The hosts had taken an early lead through Diabate’s well-executed penalty after referee Tony Chapron adjudged Florent Balmont to have knocked him over.
Lille pressed the hosts throughout the half, but Bordeaux goalkeeper Kevin Olimpa came to their rescue, especially in the 37th minute when he saved from veteran Czech defender David Rozehnal and then again from Moussa Sow who followed up the rebound.
Hazard struck shortly before the hour-mark, finishing off a neat move which began just inside the Bordeaux half and which saw English midfielder Joe Cole deliver him the decisive pass.
The Belgian star still had work to do when he got the ball on the left side of the penalty box, but he made light work of two Bordeaux defenders and placed his right-footed effort perfectly into the far corner.
Bordeaux had an even better opportunity in the 78th minute to take the three points as Chapron awarded them another penalty after Lille’s veteran goalkeeper Mickael Landreau was penalized for kneeing Fahid Ben Khalfallah on the jaw when he went up high to collect the ball. However, whilst Diabate sent Landreau the wrong way, his penalty came back off the post and bounced to safety.
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