Nice lose ground as Marseille go down
PARIS: Nice’s fading Ligue 1 title aspirations suffered a costly setback as they fell five points behind leaders Monaco despite rallying from two goals down in the 2-2 draw at Rennes.
First-half strikes from Morgan Amalfitano and Giovanni Sio left Rennes on course for a first win in nine matches but Valentin Eysseric set up Anastasios Dosis to pull one back on the hour mark.
Eysseric then raced clear as Nice caught Rennes on the counter-attack to equalise nine minutes from time with the visitors salvaging a point in the absence of an unwell Mario Balotelli.
However, Lucien Favre’s side, who topped the table at the start of the year, have won just twice in their last seven matches to leave aspirations of upstaging Monaco and Paris St Germain looking increasingly remote.
“I think it’s a good point. We were squeezed like lemons and they did it very well,” Favre said of the home side’s suffocating tactics.
“Psychologically it’s important to come back from 2-0 down to 2-2.
“At the end we could have even done more but they also had chances on the counter ... if you concede a third, it’s all over.”
Later, strugglers Nantes upset Marseille 3-2.
Goals from Diego Carlos and Mariusz Stepinski in the first 20 minutes put Nantes in control.
Bafetimbi Gomis halved the deficit three minutes after the restart, his shot helped past Nantes goalkeeper Remy Riou by a deflection off the right post.
On the hour Morgan Sanson crossed to Gomis who headed in to give the visitors renewed hope.
Gomis had to come off shortly after with an injured knee.
Marseille, who remain in sixth place, bossed the closing stages but Nantes, one point off the relegation zone before kick-off, held on to jump five places to 12th. — AFP