10-man Lens salvage draw against Nantes to keep European hopes alive
Lens:ten-manlenssalvageda2-2drawwithnantes in the French league to keep its slim European hopes alive on Saturday.
The hosts were down to 10 men from the 18th minute when goalkeeper Jean-louis Leca was sent off for fouling Moses Simon outside the area. Chasing a clearance, Simon outsprinted Lens defender Jonathan Gradit and beat Leca to the ball.
Lens stayed in seventh place, four points off a Europa League spot. Nantes moved into ninth place and will have a beter chance of geting a European spot when it faces Nice in the French Cup final next weekend.
Simon outpaced the Lens defense to open the scoring with an angled strike in the eighth minute.
The Nigeria international scored again from a rebound in the 32nd ater backup goalkeeper Wuilker Farinez saved a long-range strike from Wylan Cyprien.
Lens midfielder David Pereira Da Costa pulled one back with a first-time effort in the 68th, and substitute Arnaud Kalimuendo equalized from the penalty spot in the 81st ater Nantes goalkeeper Alban Lafont brought down Wesley Said.
Third-placed Rennes hosted relegationthreatened Saint-etienne late Saturday.
Earlier,kylianmbappenotchedtwogoalsandan assist but Paris Saint-germain still felt the hangover from a record-tying 10th French league title as it blew a two-goal lead to draw with Strasbourg 3-3.
Strasbourg, which last year finished two points above the relegation zone, moved into fith place to provisionally take the Europa Conference League playoff spot.
Kevin Gameiro scored against his former team to put Strasbourg ahead in the third minute. The veteran forward outpaced Presnel Kimpembe to chase a long ball from Lucas Perrin before shooting past Gianluigi Donnarumma from a tight angle.
The hosts nearly doubled the lead in the 10th, but Adrien Thomasson’s goal was disallowed for a marginal offside from Ludovic Ajorque in the buildup.
PSG capitalized on a fast break in the 23rd to level with its first chance. Neymar played Mbappe clean through on goal and the France striker slipped the ball between the legs of goalkeeper Matz Sels.
Neymar was the architect of the second Parisian goal in the 64th, finding Mbappe, who notched his league-leading 15th assist by seting up Morocco international Achraf Hakimi for a tap-in.
Mbappe made it 3-1 in the 68th by pouncing on a sloppy back pass from Alexander Djiku to beat Sels for his league-leading 24th goal.
Strasbourg pulled one back in the 75th when Marco Verrati diverted into his own net a header from Habib Diallo off a corner.
Sels kept Strasbourg in the game by parrying a powerful strike from Lionel Messi in the 89th.