European football round-up: PSG lose top spot after 4-4 draw

Paris Saint-Germin fought back to draw with Lyon, but slip from the top, while in the Primera Liga Levante climb to fourth, and in Serie A Juventus and Milan share the spoils after feisty meeting.

Lyon's forward Lisandro Lopez, right, fights for the ball with PSG' midfielder Thiago Motta.
Powered by automated translation

Primera Liga

Levante moved up to fourth place in the Primera Liga with a 2-1 win at fellow European hopefuls Espanyol last night.

Valdo put Levante ahead in the 24th minute but Kalu Uche’s header brought Espanyol level 15 minutes from time.

But Ruben Suarez’s free-kick in the 89th minute restored Levante’s lead and earnt them a thrilling win.

Malaga are a point behind in fifth after coming from a goal down to claim a crushing 5-1 victory over bottom-placed Real Zaragoza with four goals in 21 minutes.

Zaragoza took a shock lead through Carlos Aranda midway through the first half, with the hosts only levelling on the stroke of half-time when Sebastian Fernandez headed home.

The game remained at 1-1 until the 67th minute when Paulo Da Silva put through his own goal, triggering further strikes by Martin Demichelis, Isco and Jose Salomon Rondon.

Christian Stuani’s penalty 15 minutes from time salvaged a 1-1 draw for Racing Santander from an entertaining relegation battle with Sporting Gijon.

Sporting went in front against the run of play when Diego Barral fired in a wonderful free-kick four minutes before the break.---- But Stuani held his nerve from the spot to level after he had been brought down by Alejandro Galvez as both sides remained in the bottom three.

A Chechu Dorado own goal denied Real Betis all three points as Getafe claimed a 1-1 draw at the Benito Villamarin.

Jorge Molina put the hosts in front six minutes after the break as he raced on to Jefferson Montero’s pass to slam home from just outside the area.

However the lead only lasted three minutes as Dani Guiza turned Juan Valera’s cross goalwards and Dorado could only guide the ball into his own net as he tried to clear.

Serie A

Alessandro Matri struck late to earn still-unbeaten Juventus a 1-1 draw at Serie A leaders AC Milan.

Antonio Nocerino put Milan ahead in the 14th minute and Sulley Muntari appeared to have doubled the lead midway through the first half when his header crossed the line but a goal was not given.

Substitute Matri had a goal wrongly ruled out for offside before levelling in the 83rd minute. Juventus ended the game with 10 men after Arturo Vidal was sent off in the 88th minute for a challenge on Mark van Bommel.

The result means second-placed Juventus continue to trail Milan by one point but have a game in hand on the leaders.

Rodrigo Palacio scored a stoppage-time equaliser for Genoa and Parma's Alessandro Lucarelli was dismissed in a dramatic finale to a mid-table clash which finished 2-2.

Genoa had lost their last three league games without scoring a goal, going down to Catania, Atalanta and Chievo, so when they trailed 2-0 to strikes from Massimo Gobbi and Sergio Floccari it again looked bleak for them.

But Genoa had hope when Palacio tucked in the rebound after his 78th-minute penalty was saved, and the Argentinian forward was on hand in the sixth minute of stoppage time to convert a pass from Cristobal Jorquera.

Lucarelli lost his cool, insisting there was an offside, and took his protests so far that he was ordered off.

Ligue 1

Paris St Germain scored a 90th-minute equaliser as they came from 4-2 down to claim a 4-4 draw at Lyon last night, but it was not enough to keep hold of top spot in Ligue 1.

Montpellier replaced them on top of the pile thanks to their 1-0 win over Bordeaux, going one point clear at the summit.

But PSG could take plenty of heart from their display as substitute Kevin Gameiro's late leveller earnt them a point.

Guillaume Hoarau put the capital club in front in the 21st minute, but three goals in six minutes from Bafetimbi Gomis, Lisandro Lopez and Michel Bastos stunningly turned the game in Lyon's favour by the 40-minute mark.

Nene converted a penalty on the stroke of half-time to bring PSG to within one, but Jimmy Briand put the hosts further clear early in the second half.

Carlo Ancelotti's men would not lie down, though, and Ceara pulled another one back in the 73rd minute, just two minutes after coming on, before fellow replacement Gameiro completed the comeback at the death.

Earlier, John Utaka had headed an 80th-minute winner from Marco Estrada's corner for Montpellier to see off the challenge of Bordeaux.

It was enough to send Montpellier top after they had missed the chance to take over first place when they conceded a late equaliser to draw 2-2 at PSG last time out.

At the other end of the table, Ajaccio gave their survival hopes a boost as two goals in two second-half minutes earned a 2-1 win over Dijon.

The Corsicans had not won any of their last three league games after a revival either side of the winter break gave them hope of avoiding an instant return to the second tier, but goals from Eduardo (53) and Johan Cavalli (55) put them in command before Dijon pulled one back through Bernard Kumordzi.

Nice ended a six-match winless run as Anthony Mounier's header early in the second half gave them a 1-0 win against 10-man Caen at the Stade Municipal du Ray.

The three points took Nice out of the bottom three on goal difference.

Nancy's tumble towards relegation trouble continued with a 2-0 defeat by Evian.

Kevin Berigaud struck twice in three first-half minutes in Annecy to condemn the visitors to a defeat which leaves them further entrenched in the bottom three.

Auxerre dropped to second from bottom after an inspired performance by St Etienne goalkeeper Stephane Ruffier ensured their game finished goalless.

Elsewhere, goals in the last 13 minutes by Mamadou Samassa and Renaud Cohade guided Valenciennes to a 2-0 win at home to Lorient.