Khaberni - Lens weakened their chances to clinch the French league title this season by drawing 1-1 with their host Nice in a match held during round 32 of the tournament and witnessed the expulsion of the Lens defender, Saud Abdulhamid.
Lens took the lead with a goal from Allan Saint-Maximin in the 61st minute, before a pivotal turning point occurred in the 81st minute of the match, when Saud Abdulhamid received a direct red card after he tripped Nice player Sofiane Diop during the latter's goal-scoring opportunity, forcing his team to finish the remaining minutes with only ten players.
Nice exploited the numerical disadvantage in their opponent's ranks, and equalized with a goal scored by Tunisian defender Ali Abdi in the 84th minute.
With this draw, Nice widened the gap between them and Auxerre, the team qualifying for the relegation play-off, to six points with two rounds remaining in the competition.
As for Lens, they raised their score to 64 points in the second place, failing to take advantage of their rival, defending champion and leader Paris Saint-Germain, who drew with Lorient 2-2 within the same round of matches.
To watch the video click here.
