|
|
|
 |
 |
| Draw keeps St Etienne on top |
 |
St Etienne maintained their place at the top of the Ligue 1 standings with a hard-fought draw at home to reigning champions Marseille.
Andre-Pierre Gignac opened the scoring with his first goal for Marseille after 27 minutes but Laurent Batlles popped up to equalise for the hosts in the second period.
Les Verts came into the match on the back of four successive wins - including last Saturday's impressive 1-0 triumph at Lyon - but failed to continue that sequence as Didier Deschamps' men held on for a point.
The hosts were unlucky not to go ahead on three minutes when top-scorer Dimitri Payet crossed for Emmanuel Riviere to fire in an effort which beat goalkeeper Steve Mandanda but was hacked off the line by Cesar Azpilicueta.
Payet tested Mandanda from 12 yards after 16 minutes as St Etienne continued to make all the running, while five minutes later the in-form Payet's corner was met by the head of Mustapha Bayal Sall but Mandanda made the stop.
After weathering the early storm, OM went in front shortly before the half-hour in fortuitous circumstances.
Payet's attempted clearance hit the referee and fell perfectly at the feet of Lucho Gonzalez, who teed the ball up for Gignac to register his first goal for the club since his summer move from Toulouse with a crisp volley low into the corner.
Marseille almost doubled their lead four minutes later but on this occasion fortune smiled on Les Verts as Mathieu Valbuena's effort rattled the crossbar with Jeremie Janot beaten.
Sall nodded over early in the second half as the hosts continued to pose a threat, and on 59 minutes they got their reward with a fine equaliser.
Payet started the move with a pass to set Blaise Matuidi clear down the left, and from the midfielder's cross Batlles kept his cool to volley into the net.
Both sides might have won it in the closing stages but for great work by the two goalkeepers, Janot denying both Gignac and Charles Kabore and Mandanda thwarting Matuidi, as it ended honours even.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
