Monaco 1 Lyon 1: Rafael snatches point for Fournier´s men

Rafael’s first goal in Ligue 1 saw Lyon snatch a 1-1 draw away to 10-man Monaco on Friday.

Croatia youngster Mario Pasalic put Monaco ahead at the Stade Louis II but a straight red card awarded to Wallace for a tough tackle on Rachid Ghezzal gave Hubert Fournier’s side hope.

And former Manchester United defender Rafael salvaged a result, stabbing home the equaliser with just six minutes left to play to keep Lyon two points above Monaco in the table.

Elderson Echiejile brought a good save out of Anthony Lopes early on but Pasalic put Monaco ahead with six minutes of the first half remaining, powering a header into the unguarded net after Lopes had failed to punch Thomas Lemar’s cross clear.

Monaco were good value for their lead and felt they should have had a penalty when Fabinho went down under pressure from Samuel Umtiti, before Lopes saved superbly to keep out Lemar’s free-kick.

Leonardo Jardim’s side lost Wallace to a red card on 66 minutes after an over-zealous challenge on Ghezzal, and though Lyon began to pile on the pressure, the hosts looked likely to hand on for maximum points.

But Rafael proved the unlikely hero for the visitors, poking the ball home from point-blank range after Ghezzal kept the ball alive following Umtiti’s shot.

Lyon are now seven points behind Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain prior to their trip to face Bastia on Saturday.