(AFP) - Marseille failed to continue its momentum in the runner-up position when it fell to a disappointing 2-2 draw against its guest Strasbourg, while Lens regained its balance and achieved an important and wide victory over its host Clermont-Ferrand by 4-0, including a "hat-trick" by the Belgian Ikoma Luis Obenda, in the competition. The twenty-seventh stage of the French Football League , Sunday.
With this tie, Marseille raised its score to 56 points in second place, ten points behind leaders Paris Saint-Germain, while Strasbourg rose to fifteenth place with 23 points.
Marseille's goals were scored by Congolese Chancelle Mbemba (49) and Chilean Alexis Sanchez (76 from a penalty kick), while Ivory Coast's Jean Yodis Aholu scored two goals for Strasbourg in the fatal time (88 and 89).
Marseille played the match with ten players since the 29th minute, after Argentine defender Leonard Balerdi was sent off with a direct red card.
On the other hand, Lens regained the winning streak after two draws in the league and elimination against Nantes from the French Cup, when Obinda scored his hat-trick in the first half of the match (30, 34, and 35), before Alexis Claude added the fourth in the 76th minute.
With this victory, Lens raised its tally to 54 points in third place, two points behind Marseille II, while Clermont fell to twelfth place with 34 points.
Monaco failed to consolidate its position in fourth place by losing 0-1 to Reims, scored by Englishman Folarin Balogan in the 51st minute.
The emirate club remained fourth with 51 points, while Reims consolidated its position in eighth place with 43 points.
On the other hand, Nantes snatched a valuable point from Nice, drawing with two goals for the same.
Nice was the first to score through Nigerian Terim Movi (5) before Nantes equalized through Moussa Sissoko (31). The Burundian Youssef Ndayishimiye returned to score the second goal for Nice (71), but the Egyptian international, Mostafa Mohamed, scored the equalizing goal for Nantes in the 88th minute.
Nice raised its tally to 43 points in seventh place, while Nantes remained in fourteenth place with 29 points.
Lorient beat its host Troyes with two clean goals, similar to Toulouse, who also won a double against bottom-ranking Angers, while Montpellier lost to its host Ajaccio 0-1.