Lyon’s poor defending surfaces again in 2-2 draw at Lille

With top scorer Nabil Fekir starting on the bench, Bertrand Traore scored twice for fourth-placed Lyon in a 2-2 draw at Lille in the French league yesterday.

The Burkina Faso winger put Lyon 2-0 up at halftime, taking his season’s league tally to six since joining from Premier League Chelsea this season. Traore caused Lille problems with his pace and skill before Lyon’s poor defense once again let the team down.

Striker Nicolas Pepe scored midway through the second half and 17th-placed Lille equalized in the 81st minute through Brazilian forward Luiz Araujo’s powerful low strike from 25 meters out, following a well-worked corner.

Since beating league leader Paris Saint-Germain with a highoctane performance on Jan. 21, Lyon has conceded 10 goals in a dismal run of three defeats and a draw. In one of those losses — at defending champion Monaco — Lyon was also 2-0 up in the first half and lost 3-2 to 10 men.

Lyon coach Bruno Genesio criticized the attitude of his players.

Fekir, who has 16 league goals, came off the bench late on and saw striker Mariano Diaz hit the post near the end.

The draw further dented Lyon’s hopes of finishing in the top three and reaching next season’s Champions League. Genesio’s side is three points behind Marseille — which hosted Bordeaux later Sunday — and seven adrift of second-placed Monaco.

Earlier, Mario Balotelli was kept largely quiet as inconsistent Nice drew 1-1 at home to fifth-placed Nantes.

Balotelli is Nice’s top scorer with 13 league goals, but the Italian striker was not at his sharpest against a team shrewdly coached by countryman Claudio Ranieri.

A rare goal from veteran Brazilian center half Dante gave Nice an early lead. Emiliano Sala replied for Nantes in the 27th minute, but then headed wide from a corner in the fourth minute of injury time.

Nantes remains one point ahead of sixth-placed Montpellier, while Nice — an impressive third Paris SG Monaco Marseille Lyon Nantes Montpellier Rennes Bordeaux Nice Guingamp St Etienne Caen Dijon Strasbourg Troyes Toulouse Lille Amiens Angers Metz P W D L F A Pts 26 22 2 2 81 19 68 26 17 5 4 64 26 56 26 16 7 3 56 29 55 26 14 7 5 56 32 49 26 11 6 9 27 27 39 26 9 11 6 24 21 38 26 10 5 11 32 35 35 26 10 5 11 32 35 35 26 10 5 11 32 38 35 26 9 7 10 26 33 34 26 9 6 11 27 40 33 26 9 5 12 20 30 32 25 9 4 12 36 52 31 26 8 6 12 32 47 30 25 8 3 14 24 34 27 26 7 6 13 22 33 27 26 7 6 13 25 41 27 26 7 5 14 22 30 26 26 5 10 11 27 39 25 26 5 3 18 23 47 18