PSG Draws 2-2 with Lille in French League
Paris Saint-Germain drew 2-2 with Lille on Sunday in the French league to extend its lead to three points at the halfway stage.
Sweden striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic gave PSG the lead in the 36th minute with a 25-yard free kick that took a deflection off the Lille wall.
But Lille captain Rio Mavuba pounced on a low cross from Salomon Kalou to level with a first-time effort in the 44th before Kalou converted a penalty in the 53rd.
The hosts equalized with an own goal from Lille center-back Marko Basa in the 72nd.
"The boys had an outstanding game and they showed their season is no fluke," Lille coach Rene Girard said. "For us, it's like a victory."
Lille stayed in third place, one point behind Monaco.
Also, Marseille rallied from a two-goal deficit to draw 2-2 with Bordeaux and Lyon conceded a 2-2 draw at Lorient in the last minute of stoppage time.
Tensions sometimes flared in a match pitting the most prolific offense in the league, PSG, against the tightest defense, Lille. Mavuba and Ibrahimovic were booked for shoving each other in the 40th.
The defending champion missed two clear-cut chances in the first half. Ezequiel Lavezzi met a cross from PSG left back Lucas Digne in the 22nd but Lille goalkeeper Vincent Enyeama stopped the Argentine winger's half-volley from 10 yards. PSG center-back Thiago Silva then fired over the bar from four yards while attempting to redirect an off-target shot from Ibrahimovic in the 32nd.
Ibrahimovic hit the target four minutes later with a bit of luck for his 15th league goal this season. But Mavuba then made a run from midfield and the unmarked France international equalized with a side-footed effort from 13 yards.
Shortly after halftime, a foul by Digne on Franck Beria gave Lille the opportunity to add a second goal and Kalou wrong-footed goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu for a 2-1 lead.
Lille survived a goalmouth scramble in the 61st as PSG midfielder Marco Verratti sent a close-range effort wide. But a blunder from Enyeama cost the visitors in the 72nd. The Lille goalkeeper missed his catch from a corner and the ball bounced off Basa's leg and into the net.
PSG increased the pressure in the closing minutes looking for a winner. Adrien Rabiot played in Javier Pastore, but the Argentine playmaker shot straight at Enyeama in the 81st.
Lille also had late chances but Sirigu turned around the post a long-range attempt from substitute Divock Origi in the 88th and Basa sent a header over the bar a minute later.
"I'm not happy with the result but I'm happy with our performance," PSG coach Laurent Blanc said. "I was impressed by the amount of energy spent by Lille. They defended a lot."
PSG forward Edinson Cavani missed the match because he was in Uruguay to finalize the details of a divorce settlement.
At Stade Velodrome, Bordeaux converted its first scoring chance when Brazilian striker Jussie out-jumped Marseille midfielder Alaixys Romao to head in a corner in the 34th minute.
Bordeaux forward Nicolas Maurice-Belay capitalized on a mistake from Kassim Abdallah to double the lead with a low diagonal strike in the 66th. The Marseille defender took too much time to clear a cross from Mariano, allowing Maurice-Belay to get ahead of him and beat goalkeeper Steve Mandanda.
However, a lapse of concentration by Bordeaux players allowed the hosts to equalize quickly.
Bordeaux goalkeeper Cedric Carrasso palmed a free kick from Florian Thauvin into the path of Romao, who flicked home in the 73rd.
Marseille striker Andre-Pierre Gignac then beat Maxime Poundje to the ball to convert a cross from Benjamin Mendy a minute later.
"Bordeaux never really put us in trouble," Marseille coach Jose Anigo said. "Unfortunately, we only take one point despite scoring two goals. That's what bothers me."
Marseille nearly won the match in the 78th when center back Souleymane Diawara headed a free kick from Thauvin but Carrasso made the save.
Bordeaux stayed in fourth place in the table and Marseille is sixth.
"It's a painful scenario for us because we thought we had done the most difficult part by leading 2-0," Bordeaux coach Francis Gillot said. "We made two defensive mistakes that cost us the match."
Lyon ended Lorient's five-game winning streak but remained in 10th place, six points behind Bordeaux.
Yoann Gourcuff set up Lyon midfielder Clement Grenier, who opened the scoring with a first-time effort in the bottom corner in the 21st minute. Lyon striker Bafetimbi Gomis made it 2-0 by converting a rebound after goalkeeper Baptiste Reynet parried an attempt from Alexandre Lacazette in the 49th.
But Lorient forward Vincent Aboubakar cut Lyon's lead to 2-1 by notching his 11th league goal this season with a low strike in the 60th before substitute Alain Traore headed in a cross from Raphael Guerreiro in the third minute of stoppage time.
On Saturday, it was: Saint-Etienne 2, Nantes 0; Bastia 0, Montpellier 0; Nice 3, Evian 1; Reims 4, Ajaccio 1; Sochaux 2, Rennes 1; and Toulouse 0, Guingamp 0.
On Friday, Valenciennes upset second-place Monaco 2-1.
Source: Associated Press
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