Monaco claimed top spot in France's League One on Tuesday with a laboured 1-1 draw at promoted Dijon.
An 88th-minute equaliser from Dijon midfielder Frederic Sammaritano made Monaco pay for its failure to control the game after Argentine forward Guido Carrillo opened the scoring after 17 minutes. Monaco now leads Nice on goal difference alone. Both have 33 points. Nice can reclaim the top spot at Guingamp on Wednesday.
Monaco was a pale imitation of its usual slicker self. Its defending was hesitant and the players' touch and inventiveness was missing on a chilly night against a feisty Dijon team. Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim won't have recognised his side; Monaco's tally of 44 goals so far this season is the highest of any in Europe's top five leagues.
Djibril Sidibe, who has grafted his way into France coach Didier Deschamps' national side this autumn, created the breakthrough for Monaco, throwing off the Dijon defense with a twisting run before unleashing a shot that goalkeeper Baptiste Reynet clumsily spilled.
Carrillo then beat the Dijon captain to the loose ball, sliding in to net his sixth league goal in 11 matches. A pass from second-half substitute Lois Diony set up Sammaritano's tidily scored close-range equaliser.
"We played with our hearts. We left our guts on the pitch," Sammaritano said.
In Tuesday evening's earlier matches, Lille climbed out of the relegation zone with a 4-2 victory against Caen and last-place Lorient got a badly needed 2-1 win in a Brittany derby against Rennes.
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