RC Lens saw their faint Ligue 1 title ambitions take a hit after a dramatic 1-1 draw away to OGC Nice at the Allianz Riviera, extending their winless run on the road in the league to five matches.
Earlier in the day, Paris Saint-Germain had only drawn against Lorient, briefly reopening the door for Lens to close the gap at the top.
That set the stage for a crucial opportunity against a struggling Nice side, but the visitors were forced to work hard from the outset.
Nice matched Lens in a competitive first half and came close to breaking the deadlock when Juma Bah met a cross with a free header, only to be denied by an excellent save from Robin Risser.
Despite that chance, the hosts continued a worrying trend for Lens’ opponents, as Les Sang et Or failed to concede for a ninth straight match before the interval but also struggled to find a breakthrough of their own.
Lens gradually grew into the game, creating openings through Mamadou Sangaré and Odsonne Édouard, though neither could make the decisive impact before half-time.
Shortly after the restart, Mohamed-Ali Cho wasted a promising opportunity for Nice, dragging a shot wide as chances remained limited.
The match then swung in Lens’ favour midway through the second half when Allan Saint-Maximin latched onto a perfectly weighted pass from Adrien Thomasson, rounded the goalkeeper, and finished into an empty net to give the visitors the lead.
Momentum briefly shifted towards Lens, who nearly doubled their advantage when Florian Thauvin’s curling strike from distance crashed off the crossbar.
However, the turning point came with just under 10 minutes remaining when Saud Abdulhamid was shown a red card for denying Sofiane Diop a clear goalscoring opportunity on the edge of the box.
From the resulting free-kick, Diop’s effort was parried into the path of Ali Abdi, who reacted quickest to slot the rebound through Risser’s legs and level the score.
Despite late pressure from Nice, neither side could find a winner, leaving Lens six points behind PSG at the top of the table. With only a handful of games left and a significant goal difference disadvantage, their title hopes now rely heavily on PSG slipping up again while Lens remain perfect in their remaining fixtures.
For Nice, the point provides some breathing space in their survival fight, moving them six points clear of the relegation play-off zone, although they have played one game more than Auxerre, keeping the battle at the bottom open heading into the final stretch of the season.
