Football

Lille's hopes of climbing into the top three of Ligue 1 were dashed by a dramatic 96th-minute equalizer from Nice, resulting in a 2-2 draw. Meanwhile, Lyon emerged victorious in the historic "Le Derby" against Saint-Etienne, securing a 1-0 triumph.Lille twice took the lead through Matias Fernandez-Pardo and Mitchel Bakker, but Nice responded on both occasions, with Sofiane Diop and Tom Louchet finding the net. The draw leaves Lille in fourth place, while Nice remains in sixth.Lille coach Bruno Genesio expressed disappointment, acknowledging that his team failed to capitalize on their opportunities. "We deserved to win, but when you don't do enough, you can get caught out," he said.In the Lyon-Saint-Etienne derby, Alexandre Lacazette's 29th-minute goal proved decisive. Despite a late scare when a VAR review overturned a potential Lyon goal, Saint-Etienne failed to find an equalizer, extending their winless streak to seven matches.Elsewhere, Reims climbed to seventh with a 3-0 victory over Le Havre, while Montpellier earned a crucial 3-1 home win against Brest. Toulouse moved up to 10th with a 2-0 triumph at Rennes, who are reportedly close to appointing Jorge Sampaoli as their new coach.

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) secured a 2-1 victory over Nice in Ligue 1 on Wednesday, despite the absence of star forward Kylian Mbappe. The win effectively ended Nice's hopes of qualifying for the Champions League.Mbappe, who is set to leave PSG at the end of the season, missed the match due to discomfort in his left hamstring. Other notable absentees for PSG included Ousmane Dembele, Achraf Hakimi, and Randal Kolo Muani.PSG took the lead in the 18th minute through Bradley Barcola. Defender Yoram Zague doubled their advantage in the 29th minute, marking his 18th birthday with his first goal for the French champions.Nice responded with a goal from Mohamed-Ali Cho just past the half-hour mark. However, their hopes of a comeback were dashed when Melvin Bard was sent off with 15 minutes remaining for a challenge on Barcola.The defeat leaves Nice four points behind Lille and Brest, who are battling for the third automatic Champions League qualifying spot. Nice are now guaranteed to finish fifth and will participate in the Europa League group stage next season.Meanwhile, Marseille's hopes of European qualification suffered a blow with a 1-0 loss at managerless Reims. Chancel Mbemba's own goal in the first half condemned Marseille to defeat, leaving them three points behind Lens and Lyon in the race for a Europa Conference League place.