Lorient, France (SportsNetwork.com) - Monaco needed a late goal from Layvin Kurzawa to rescue a 2-2 draw at Lorient on Saturday, dropping the club five points back of Ligue 1 leaders PSG.
PSG's 2-0 win over Bordeaux on Friday put pressure on second-place Monaco to keep pace. But after Lorient went up 2-1 in the 73rd minute through a goal from Jeremie Aliadiere, Monaco was fortunate to leave with a point.
Vincent Aboubakar needed 12 minutes to put Lorient in front when he settled under a cross from Kevin Monnet-Pacquet and sent a powerful header past goalkeeper Danijel Subasic.
Valere Germain responded for Monaco before halftime when he took a pass from Emmanuel Riviere near the top of the penalty area and lashed a shot off the post and into the net.
Aliadiere had Lorient in position to claim all three points when he scored after being set up by Aboubakar, but Lorient knew that Monaco would be desperate to respond once more.
Goalkeeper Florent Chaigneau kept Lorient in front with a fine stop on Geoffrey Kondogbia. However, he couldn't keep out a shot from Kurzawa three minutes from time as the defender pounced on Lucas Ocampos' cross to save a point for his team.
Bastia rallied for a 3-2 win over Guingamp with goals from Sebastien Squillaci and Ryad Boudebouz in the final 10 minutes, while bottom-half sides Evian and Ajaccio traded goals in the last five minutes of a 1-1 draw.
Sochaux won for the third time this season as Stophira Sunzu scored the lone goal in a 1-0 Sochaux victory over Nantes, although the club still remains seven points from safety, St Etienne closed to within one point of third-place Lille after downing Valenciennes, 3-0, and Remy Cabella scored a goal in each half to lift Montpellier to a 4-2 triumph at Reims.
