Lille stretched their unbeaten streak to an impressive 18 matches after a 1-1 home draw against struggling Nantes in Ligue 1. The result keeps Lille in fourth place, just two points behind Monaco and Marseille, who are set to play on Sunday.

Nantes had new goalkeeper Anthony Lopes, who recently joined after making nearly 500 appearances for Lyon. Lopes conceded in the 41st minute when Lille defender Gabriel Gudmundsson scored with a volley. The goal came after winger Rémy Cabella’s curling shot hit the crossbar and rebounded perfectly for Gudmundsson.

Nantes found their equalizer in the 70th minute thanks to a penalty converted by rising French talent Matthis Abline. With this draw, Nantes remain in 15th place, fighting to distance themselves from the relegation zone.

Meanwhile, Lyon climbed to fifth place with a dramatic 1-0 victory over bottom-placed Montpellier. The game was decided by a chaotic stoppage-time own goal from Khalil Fayad after a scramble in the penalty box. Montpellier came close several times but left empty-handed. Midfielder Jordan Ferri, facing his former team, struck the post early on and had a goal disallowed after a VAR review in the second half. Later, Wahbi Khazri’s dangerous free kick was saved by Lyon goalkeeper Lucas Perri in the 83rd minute.

Earlier in the day, Saint-Etienne ended their losing streak with a much-needed 3-1 win over Reims, marking Norwegian coach Eirik Horneland’s debut at the helm. Ghanaian midfielder Augustine Boakye was the star of the show, scoring twice in the second half to help Saint-Etienne climb to 14th place. Horneland stepped in after Olivier Dall’Oglio was dismissed in mid-December. Reims initially took the lead just before halftime with Japan’s Keito Nakamura netting his seventh goal of the season, but Belgian forward Lucas Stassin sealed the win for Saint-Etienne with a late strike.

Elsewhere, Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain were not in league action this weekend as they prepare to face Monaco in Sunday’s Champions Trophy match. PSG remains undefeated this season and continues to dominate French football.