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Lyon failed to retake their place at the top of Ligue 1 as they were held at home by Monaco at the Stade Gerland tonight.
Les Gones, the seven-time reigning champions, came into the match in third position thanks to wins earlier this weekend for Bordeaux and then Marseille, and this point – secured courtesy of Frederic Piquionne’s 81st-minute leveller – will only lift them one place.
The principality side went ahead through Jerko Leko in the 34th minute and although Cris equalised for Lyon, Juan Pablo Pino’s immediate riposte after 65 minutes looked likely to earn the visitors all three points.
Piquionne, with an overhead kick, secured Lyon a draw against his former club but with seven matches left in the campaign, they trail new leaders OM by a point and their grasp on the title they have owned since 2002 is slipping.
Leko’s goal came following a rapid counter-attack, Monaco’s chief tactic in a first half in which they were more than a match for Lyon.
Les Gones were restricted to half-chances before the break, although Karim Benzema did strike the post with a rasping 37th-minute drive.
By that time, the champions were behind thanks to Leko, who got on the end of a cut-back from Chu-Young Park to stroke home a left-footed finish.
Lyon goalkeeper Hugo Lloris spared his side the humiliation of going into the break 2-0 down when he tipped aside Jean-Jacques Gosso’s 20-yarder, but the hosts were jeered off at half-time.
Leko was just off target minutes into the second half as Monaco continued to play with a freedom their opponents lacked.
Stephane Ruffier turned aside a header from Jean Makoun and then a Juninho free-kick but the Monaco goalkeeper was partly to blame for Lyon’s 64th-minute equaliser.
He came out of his goal to punch away a Juninho cross, only to get beaten to the ball by Cris, who nodded into an empty net.
The hosts were level for barely a minute though, Pino putting Monaco back in front when he ran onto Gosso’s through-ball, rounded Lloris and finished neatly from the angle.
Substitute Piquionne missed a sitter from six yards out just after coming on for Lyon but earned his side a point with his close-range acrobatics.
OL
Titulaires :
* Lloris
* Boumsong
* Cris But 66′ Carton jaune 39′
* Grosso Sortie 70′
* Réveillère Carton jaune 53′
* Ederson Sortie 55′
* Makoun Carton jaune 69′
* Källström Carton jaune 41′
* Juninho
* Keita Sortie 80′
* Benzema
Remplaçants :
* Vercoutre
* Clerc
* Bodmer Entre 80′
* Pjanic
* Santos
* Piquionne But 81′ Entre 55′
* Mounier Entre 70′
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