Leaders Lyon frustrated by basement side Nancy

Lyon’s Brazilian midfielder Michel Bastos (L) vies with Nancy’s French defender Massadio Haidara during the French L1 football match on December 12 , 2012 at the Gerland stadium in Lyon. The teams drew 1-1.

PARIS - Ligue 1 leaders Lyon were held to a frustrating 1-1 draw at home to relegation candidates Nancy on Wednesday, as their lead at the top was trimmed to three points.

Nancy took a surprise second-half lead through Jordan Loties and appeared on course for their first win since the opening day of the season before Michel Bastos spared Lyon’s blushes seven minutes from time to secure Remi Garde’s side a point.

“I don’t think it’s a setback. We wanted to win but sometimes when you can’t, you have to know not to lose,” said Lyon striker Bafetimbi Gomis.

“We would have liked to win against the team that was bottom but they played a good match.”

The stalemate moved Lyon onto 35 points, three ahead of Paris-Saint Germain — who welcome the leaders to Parc des Princes on Sunday — and Marseille following their 2-1 victory at Bastia, while a fifth straight draw for Nancy saw them climb above Troyes into 19th.

Lyon’s Brazilian midfielder Michel Fernandes Bastos (C) vies with Nancy players during the French L1 football match on December 12 , 2012 at the Gerland stadium in Lyon. The game was a 1-1 draw.

Rooted to the foot of the table and without a win in 15 outings entering the clash at Stade Gerland, Nancy displayed plenty of attacking intent during the first-half, forcing Lyon goalkeeper Remy Vercoutre to save twice from Djamel Bakar and produce an instinctive stop to claw away a Loties header.

Lyon though should have taken the lead on 35 minutes as Gomis danced past Sebastien Puygrenier only to see his effort well blocked after he passed up an opportunity to lay the ball of to a better-positioned Alexandre Lacazette.

Bastos then drew Nancy keeper Damien Gregorini into a smart low save with his legs, while Lisandro Lopez was incensed not to be awarded a second-half penalty when his shot was deflected behind via the arm of Brazilian right-back Helder.

“We had the chance to open the score if a penalty had been logically awarded. I think that was the turning point of the match. Because when we’ve led at (Stade) Gerland, we have never lost. We had the chances to win and tonight, we were prevented from doing so,” said an angry Garde, who was upset with referee Jean-Charles Cailleux’s performance.

Sochaux’s forward Ishmael Yartey (R) vies with Lorient’s French midfielder Maxime Barthelme (L) during the French L1 football match on December 12, 2012 at the Moustoir Stadium in Lorient, France. Lorient won 2-0.

Nancy continued to belie their league position as Loties had a fizzing strike palmed away by Vercoutre before Jean Fernandez’s charges took a shock lead through the French defender on 74 minutes.

Loties was the beneficiary of Vercoutre’s inexplicable decision to launch himself feet first at Salif Sane’s tame header, as the custodian’s attempted clearance ricocheted off the Nancy player and trickled over the line.

The visitors’ advantage lasted a mere nine minutes, however, as Bastos hauled Lyon level on 83 minutes when his long-range shot wrong-footed Gregorini after taking a wicked deflection off Puygrenier.

Elsewhere, Marseille drew level with arch-rivals PSG after seeing off Bastia in front of an empty Stade Armand Cesari in Corsica.

Mathieu Valbuena hooked a superb 15th-minute volley past Landry Bonnefoi before Andre Ayew doubled Marseille’s advantage with a second-half penalty after brother Jordan was felled by the hosts’ keeper.

Anthony Modeste reduced the deficit with a consolation goal eight minutes from time.

Lorient claimed a fourth win in five matches as goals from Alain Traore and Lamine Kone were on target in a 2-0 win over Sochaux.

Evian climbed out of the relegation zone after beating fellow strugglers Troyes 2-0 thanks to a brace from Cedric Barbosa.

Montpellier came from behind to win 2-1 at Brest as an own-goal from Johan Martial and 57th-minute strike from John Utaka overturned Eden Ben Basat’s opener for the home side.

Meanwhile Adrian Mutu was on target, as Mickael Tacalfred also put through his own net, to hand Ajaccio a 2-0 win against Reims.