Pacesetters Olympique Lyonnais squandered the chance to restore their five-point lead over second-placed Paris Saint-Germain FC when they drew 1-1 at home to AS Nancy-Lorraine.

Without a win in any competition since the first day of the season, Nancy were on course to register one of the shocks of this Ligue 1 campaign after Jordan Lotiès's fortuitous 74th-minute opener at the Stade de Gerland. Michel Bastos, however, denied Jean Fernandez's team their first triumph in 17 matches with a left-foot strike from the edge of the area. The result lifted Nancy off the bottom of the table.

Lyon, who lost captain Anthony Réveillère and Alexandre Lacazette to injury, visit PSG on Sunday. Third-placed Olympique de Marseille moved level on 32 points with the Parisians, and to within three of Les Gones, with a 2-1 success at SC Bastia in Wednesday's late game. OM briefly had FC Lorient for close company after the Brittany club climbed to fourth courtesy of a 2-0 home triumph against FC Sochaux-Montbéliard. 

At the other end, AC Ajaccio and Évian Thonon Gaillard FC pulled clear of the relegation zone with respective 2-0 victories over lowly Stade de Reims Champagne and ES Troyes Aube Champagne, who are now bottom. Champions Montpellier Herault SC, meanwhile, recorded their second win in four days, 2-1 at Stade Brestois 29.