Marseille twice pegged back in 2-2 draw with Nice

PARIS: Marseille moved provisionally top of the French league yet missed the chance to put more pressure on Paris Saint-Germain when it was twice pegged back in a 2-2 home draw with Nice on Sunday.
Ghana winger Andre Ayew scored for the second successive league match to put Marseille ahead in the 40th minute, but Argentine forward Dario Cvitanich equalized soon after halftime.
France winger Mathieu Valbuena restored Marseille’s lead midway through the second half, only for Nice winger Fabrice Abriel to level in the 88th against his former club.
It was not a good day for Marseille, with striker Loic Remy limping off toward the end with a thigh injury, and Valbuena missing a penalty midway through the first half, when his shot was saved by goalkeeper David Ospina.
“It was our first penalty of the season,” said Marseille coach Elie Baup, justifying Valbuena’s decision to take it. “There were several candidates to take it. Mathieu is among those, and then it’s a question of feeling. You’re talking about players who are internationals, it’s not primary school.”