Monaco comes from behind to draw at Nantes in French thriller

NANTES, France (AP) — Monaco came from behind at Nantes to rescue a 2-2 draw in an action-packed thriller in Ligue 1 on Friday.

Nantes took a two-goal lead through Matthis Abline after 12 minutes and Kelvin Amian early in the second half.

But Breel Embolo after 52 minutes and Mohammed Salisu seven minutes later levelled.

Nantes captain Nicolas Pallois saved a shot off the line with 10 minutes left, while at the other end Moses Simon saw his shot smack the bar minutes from time.

“We lost two points tonight, I think,” Nantes midfielder Jonathan Lepenant said. “It’s very frustrating because we’re leading 2-0 and then we lose two goals very quickly. They’re avoidable goals.”

The draw lifted Nantes out of the relegation zone and into 14th in the 18-team league, equal on points with Angers and St-Etienne.

Monaco was third, two points behind Marseille, and nine behind leader Paris Saint-Germain.

Auxerre draws with Lille

Auxerre and Lille shared the points in a drab 0-0 draw.

In a match of few chances, the two main talking points involved Lille’s Hákon Haraldsson.

The Icelandic striker went down twice in quick succession in the second half and although contact appeared minimal both times the referee awarded a penalty on both occasions.

He annulled the first after a video review but confirmed the second, only for Theo De Percin to save Jonathan David’s spot kick. Auxerre defender Paul Jolly was shown a red card for the infringement that led to the second kick.

The result left Lille in fourth place, while Auxerre was ninth.

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