Lille midfielder Ethan Mbappé came off the bench to haunt his former club Paris Saint-Germain, scoring a late equaliser as the club secured a 1-1 draw at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy on Sunday.
The teenager’s strike ensured Lille claimed a valuable point against the Ligue 1 leaders, although PSG, despite injuries and a much-changed side, moved one point clear at the top of the table.
Nuno Mendes had earlier appeared to have sealed the win with a superb free-kick in the second half, but 18-year-old Mbappé cut inside and fired through the legs of Lucas Beraldo in the 88th minute, under the watchful eye of his older brother Kylian, who was in the stands.
The first half saw limited chances, with Thomas Meunier and Bradley Barcola failing to convert for Lille and PSG, respectively.
Olivier Giroud and Nabil Bentaleb came close for the hosts early in the second half, while Lee Kang-in and Barcola threatened for PSG. Mendes’s free-kick from 30 yards briefly gave the visitors hope of victory before Mbappé’s late intervention. Lille remain seventh in the league, five points behind PSG.
Elsewhere, Lyon suffered a shocking 2-1 home defeat to Toulouse, with new signing Emersonn scoring a dramatic late brace.
Malick Fofana had put Lyon ahead in the 24th minute, but Emersonn’s first goal came in the 87th minute, and he clinched the winner with a header in the sixth minute of stoppage time, condemning Lyon to fourth place.
Assistant coach Jorge Maciel lamented the result, noting that the team cannot afford complacency even with a lead.
Monaco and Nice played out an entertaining 2-2 draw, with Sofiane Diop scoring twice for the visitors before two penalties from Ansu Fati secured a share of the spoils for Monaco, leaving the principality side fifth, three points off the top.
Strasbourg completed a fine week with a 5-0 thrashing of Angers, moving level on points with second-placed Marseille and Lyon, while Rennes were held to a 2-2 draw at Le Havre despite a two-goal lead in the first half.