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Reuters
Reuters
Sport
Julien Pretot

Monaco frustrated as Wenger boys draw in Ligue 1

Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - AS Monaco v OGC Nice - Stade Louis II, Monaco - January 16, 2019 AS Monaco coach Thierry Henry and Nice coach Patrick Vieira after the match REUTERS/Eric Gaillard

PARIS (Reuters) - Thierry Henry's Monaco stretched their winless run in Ligue 1 to four games as they drew 1-1 with Patrick Vieira's Nice on Wednesday as the two former Arsenal greats did battle in the dugout.

Former France internationals Henry and Vieira played 313 games together at Arsenal, under the Premier League club's former boss Arsene Wenger, and with Les Bleus, but their former loyalties were put to one side as Monaco chased a first league win since Dec. 4.

Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - AS Monaco v OGC Nice - Stade Louis II, Monaco - January 16, 2019 AS Monaco's Youri Tielemans in action with Nice's Malang Sarr REUTERS/Eric Gaillard

The result left Monaco second from bottom with 15 points from 20 games while Nice, who played the second half with 10 men following Ihsan Sacko's red card, stayed sixth on 30 points.

Olympique Lyonnais edged closer to second-placed Lille as Nabil Fekir's late strike salvaged a 2-2 draw at Toulouse in one of five rescheduled matches while Olympique de Marseille's winless streak stretched to five games in a 2-1 defeat at St Etienne. The limelight, however, was on 1998 World Cup winners Henry and Vieira.

Henry had to make do without Cesc Fabregas as the Spanish midfielder, who joined the club last week from Chelsea, was not qualified to play when the game was initially scheduled.

Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - AS Monaco v OGC Nice - Stade Louis II, Monaco - January 16, 2019 AS Monaco's Benoit Badiashile celebrates scoring their first goal with team mates REUTERS/Eric Gaillard

Allan Saint Maximin put the visitors ahead with a low shot from inside the box after easing past Jemerson, exposing Monaco's weak defence.

Benoit Badiashile headed the equaliser home from a Rony Lopes corner as Monaco made their dominance count following the exclusion of Sacko on the stroke of halftime.

Lyon went 2-0 down in Toulouse after a Jimmy Durmaz double but Moussa Dembele pulled one back in the 75th, and substitute Fekir levelled with a perfectly curled free kick in the 87th.

Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - AS Monaco v OGC Nice - Stade Louis II, Monaco - January 16, 2019 Nice's Ihsan Sacko is shown a red card by referee Benoit Bastien REUTERS/Eric Gaillard

Lyon are fourth on 34 points, three behind Lille with runaway leaders Paris St Germain on 50 points with two games in hand.

St Etienne are third on 36 points after a Wahbi Khazri double helped them beat a Marseille side who were without a proper striker in their starting 11.

The visitors went ahead, however, when Kevin Strootman headed home in the 16th minute, only for Khazri to equalise with a 58th-minute penalty and then give St Etienne all three points with a fierce shot into the top corner one minute from fulltime.

Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - AS Monaco v OGC Nice - Stade Louis II, Monaco - January 16, 2019 Nice's Allan Saint-Maximin on his way to scoring their first goal REUTERS/Eric Gaillard

(Editing by Toby Davis)

Soccer Football - Ligue 1 - AS Monaco v OGC Nice - Stade Louis II, Monaco - January 16, 2019 Nice's Ihsan Sacko shoots at goal REUTERS/Eric Gaillard
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