FOOTBALL NEWS FROM Ligue 1
Marseille lose ground on leaders
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Marseille and Lorient cancelled each other out on a night when Ligue 1 leaders Lille were the real winners.

A late equaliser from Andre-Pierre Gignac earned second-placed Marseille a point, but they now stand three points behind the front-runners and have only two games remaining.

Lille have three to play, and with a superior goal difference a victory over Sochaux on Wednesday will make them champions bar the crossing of the t's and dotting of the i's.

Marseille inched ahead after 14 minutes when Loic Remy received the ball on the right and beat defender Bruno Ecuele Manga before cutting into the penalty area and driving a fierce shot past goalkeeper Lionel Cappone.

They had a big chance to double their lead soon afterwards when Jordan Ayew crossed to Remy whose shot was pushed out by Cappone to Mathieu Valbuena who lashed the ball over the bar when he should have scored.

In-demand striker Kevin Gameiro won Lorient a corner in the 47th minute and from Francis Coquelin's delivery, Lamine Kone rose above Vitorio Hilton to send a header beyond Steve Mandanda in the Marseille goal.

Marseille full-back Taye Taiwo sent a free-kick just off target, but the visitors fell behind in the 80th minute when Morgan Amalfitano crossed from the right to Gameiro who reached the ball ahead of Mandanda and slotted in from the edge of the six-yard box.

The visitors needed a swift response and Gignac rifled a shot over the bar.

Lorient threatened to score a third goal when in the 88th minute Arnold Mvuemba was just centimetres away from finding the top right corner from a free-kick on the edge of the penalty area.

Marseille equalised almost immediately as Gignac received the ball just inside the left side of the penalty area and turned well before smashing a left-footed shot inside Cappone's near post.

There could even have been a Marseille winner when Remy nodded the ball across goal following a cross from the left but Benoit Cheyrou failed to trouble Cappone with a close-range header.

His failure to convert that chance probably ended Marseille's realistic hopes of claiming the title.