Lille held to 1-1 draw by Toulouse in French league, Clermont wins duel of strugglers
Lille was held to a 1-1 home draw by Toulouse in the French league on Sunday after hitting the woodwork twice.
Lille extended its unbeaten run to six matches but missed the chance to reduce the gap with its rivals in the fight for Champions League places.
The result moved the northern side to fourth in the standings, four points behind Monaco, which drew 0-0 with Le Havre on Saturday.
PSG moved to the top of the league with a 3-0 win at Reims after Kylian Mbappe scored a hat trick.
Leny Yoro put Lille ahead in the first half with a header from Edon Zhegrova following a corner. Toulouse’s equalizer also came from a set piece when Thijs Dallinga headed the ball home into the top left corner near the hour mark.
The hosts pushed hard in the closing stages and their efforts came close to being rewarded. First, in the 82nd minute when Remy Cabella hit the left post, then eight minutes later as Tiago Santos’s shot took a slight deflection onto the crossbar.
After two straight league losses it has been a much better week for Toulouse, which beat Liverpool 3-2 midweek in a Europa League game.
NICHOLSON SPOT ON
A penalty from Shamar Nicholson was enough to secure three important points for Lorient in its duel with fellow struggler Lorient.
After a VAR decision following a foul in the box, Nicholson converted from the spot with a right-footed shot into the bottom right corner in the 68th minute for his first goal in the French league.
Clermont remained in 17th place, two points behind Lorient, which has won just one of its past nine matches.
Also, Metz defeated Nantes 3-1.
Seven-time champion Lyon later played at Rennes looking for a first win of the season and Marseille traveled to Lens.
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