Rennes, France – Nancy scored two goals in the final 12 minutes to claim a surprising 2-0 victory at Rennes on Saturday, moving the club off the bottom of the Ligue 1 table.
With back-to-back wins, Nancy moves to within two points of safety, while Rennes remains stuck in the middle of the league.
After both sides generated chances in the first half, the match lost some steam after the break and appeared to be headed for a scoreless draw as the contest entered the final 15 minutes.
But Thomas Ayasse had other ideas in the 78th minute when he scored on a stunning volley from Salif Sane's cross.
Nancy wrapped up the points in the final minutes when Alo'o Efoulou's pass sent Djamel Bakar toward the penalty area, where he found room to lash a shot past goalkeeper Benoit Costil.
St Etienne failed to move into the top three after being held to a 2-2 draw at Troyes as all four goals were scored in the first 40 minutes, while Etienne Capoue scored a goal in each half, including the winner in the 79th minute from the penalty spot, to lift Toulouse to a 3-2 away victory against Ajaccio.
Ludovic Obraniak's goal in the 87th minute helped Bordeaux earn a 1-1 draw against Lorient, Evian scored two goals in the last 22 minutes against 10-man Reims to snatch a 2-2 draw, and Florian Thauvin tallied two goals in the last six minutes to help Bastia secure a 4-3 win at Valenciennes.
Receive your weekly recap of all the happenings around the world of sports.