Nancy edges clear of relegation zone

Published Jan. 14, 2012 12:00 a.m. ET

foxsports

Nancy edged one point clear of the Ligue 1 drop zone thanks to Salif Sane's 83rd-minute equaliser in a 2-2 draw with Lorient.

Nancy had surrendered a first-half advantage, given to them by Benjamin Moukandjo in the 14th minute, to trail 2-1 before Sane levelled two minutes after Joel Campbell gave the visitors the lead.

Mathieu Coutadeur had cancelled out Moukandjo's opener just after the hour mark.

The hosts perhaps had luck on their side as Kevin Monnet-Pacquet appeared to have a solid penalty shout in the seventh minute, but the referee played on.

That enabled Moukandjo to give his side the lead when he pounced on the rebound as Fabien Audard could only parry Yohan Mollo's shot.

The rest of the first half passed with few chances at either end, although it was Nancy's turn to feel they should have had a spot-kick five minutes before the break when Moukandjo fell under the challenge of Mathias Autret.

Christian Gourcuff's half-time team talk appeared to leave Lorient fired up as they looked much stronger after the break, with Gilles Sunu going close in the 50th minute when he cut in from the left to shoot for the top corner of the net, with Guy Rolland Ndy Assembe doing well to push it away for a corner.

Sunu then set up Vincent Emeghera who saw shot go narrowly wide from an angle with Asseme beaten.

The equaliser came in the 62nd minute as Assembe could only half-clear Yann Jouffre's free-kick to Coutadeur who sent it straight back on the volley and high into the net.

Lorient then snatched the lead with nine minutes to go as Emeghera sprung the offside trap before rolling the ball across for Campbell to steer into the net with his left foot.

But their joy lasted only a matter of seconds as Nancy won a corner from which Mollo crossed for Sane to head home at the front post.

Alaixys Romao had a late chance to snatch the points for Lorient but his glancing header went narrowly wide of the post.