FOOTBALL NEWS FROM Ligue 1
Champions Lille held in opener
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Champions Lille were held to a draw on the opening day of the Ligue 1 campaign by Nancy.

Rudi Garcia's team, who finished eight points clear at the top of the table last season, looked like making a winning start this time around when Mathieu Debuchy netted early in the second half.

However, Franck Beria's own goal rescued a point for the home side, who had Pascal Berenguer dismissed in the closing stages for a reckless challenge.

Lille started brightly and in the fourth minute Florent Balmont tried his luck from 30 yards but saw his right foot effort go over the bar.

Nancy countered a minute later when Youssouf Hadji headed just wide following an excellent cross from Loosemy Karaboue.

Just past the half-hour mark Benoit Pedretti was unlucky to see his direct free-kick from 30 yards go narrowly wide for Lille - and three minutes before the break team-mate Balmont forced a magnificent save from Damien Gregorini.

The visitors did find the target in the 47th minute though, Debuchy breaking the deadlock with a right-foot shot on the turn following good work by Beria.

Within a minute it was nearly 2-0. Debuchy found Dimitri Payet but the former St Etienne striker's header was caught on the line by Gregorini.

Nancy were level in the 62nd minute, in fortunate circumstances - Beria heading the ball into his own net after goalkeeper Mickael Landreau had failed to cut it out.

The home side were reduced to 10 men in the 83rd minute when Berenguer was sent off for a dangerous two-footed tackle on Idrissa Gueye.

And Jean Fernandez's men held on for the point, with Lille's best chance of a winner coming three minutes into injury time - but Ludovic Obraniak failed to hit the target from a promising position after being set up by Eden Hazard.