MONACO (AP) — Lille maintained their impressive unbeaten streak, extending it to eight matches courtesy of a late equalizer from Malick Fofana that salvaged a 1-1 draw against Lyon in an exciting Ligue 1 clash on Friday night.
Lille made their mark early, taking the lead just 17 minutes into the game when Jonathan David capitalized on a defensive mishap. The Canadian forward seized on a wayward pass, rounded the onrushing goalkeeper, and calmly slotted the ball into an unguarded net. This goal marked David’s 12th of the season, and notably, his ninth in the last eight games.
Despite dominating the first half, Lille found themselves unable to extend their lead, with the woodwork denying them and missed opportunities paving the way for a resurgent Lyon after the interval.
In a thrilling second half, Lyon pushed for an equalizer, with Rayan Cherki coming agonizingly close, hitting the crossbar with a fierce strike, while Ainsley Maitland-Niles had a goal disallowed after VAR intervention.
In the dying moments of injury time, Maitland-Niles broke through the Lyon defense and delivered a pinpoint cross for Fofana, who volleyed home to level the score. This result saw both clubs climb a spot in the Ligue 1 standings, with Lille now sitting in third and Lyon in fifth.
Angers Triumph Over Monaco
In earlier action, a jaw-dropping strike from Jean-Eudes Aholou was enough to secure a 1-0 victory for Angers against Monaco, marking their second successive win after a prolonged winless stretch that had lasted since July.
With this triumph, Angers climbed to 14th place in the tightly contested 18-team league.
The situation for Monaco paints a contrasting picture, as they now find themselves on a two-game losing streak following a robust 12-game unbeaten run that spanned from early August to late October.
Depleted by injuries, Monaco struggled to find their rhythm, and their woes were compounded by Aholou’s stunning left-footed strike that broke the deadlock in the 29th minute. The Ivory Coast international took a well-timed pass from Jim Allevinah before unleashing a powerful shot that left goalkeeper Radoslaw Majecki with no chance of stopping.
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