THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
PARIS — Paris Saint-Germain lost to Nancy 2-1 in a lacklustre performance that cast doubt on Saturday on its ability to outsprint Montpellier in the French league title race.
Nancy winger Yohan Mollo scored the winner with a low strike in the 89th minute.
PSG remained in second place, level on points with Montpellier, whose match with Marseille has been postponed to April 11 to help Marseille prepare for its Champions League tie against Bayern Munich on Tuesday.
Nancy midfielder Bakaye Traore collected a pass from Mollo to slip the ball past PSG goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu in the 18th.
Nancy centerback Andre Luiz nearly added a second goal but his long-range effort hit the bar in the 20th.
PSG came back with a different mindset after the break as Mohamed Sissoko equalized in the 50th by heading home a cross from leftback Sylvain Armand.
PSG coach Carlo Ancelotti opted for a shock therapy after his team surrendered the top spot to Montpellier last weekend.
Winter signings Alex, Thiago Motta and Sherrer Maxwell were not in the starting lineup. Maxwell was benched while Alex and Motta did not even make the bench. Argentine playmaker Javier Pastore survived the axe but performed poorly in the first half.
Instead, Ancelotti relied on PSG old-timers, starting Zoumana Camara and Sylvain Armand who had barely played since the Italian coach took over in late December.
But the move did not pay off as PSG is winless in its last four matches while Nancy got some breathing room in the relegation battle.
Nancy had already stunned PSG 1-0 at Parc des Princes last November.
Also, it was: Auxerre 2, Valenciennes 0; Saint-Etienne 2, Nice 3; Bordeaux 1, Dijon 1; Lorient 0, Evian 1; and Sochaux 2, Brest 1.
Auxerre remained in last place but kept alive its hopes of escaping relegation by pulling within three points of 17th-place Brest.
Morocco midfielder Kamel Chafni took a pass from Omar Kossoko and beat Valenciennes goalkeeper Nicolas Penneteau to put the hosts ahead in the 24th minute.
Kenya striker Dennis Oliech doubled the lead in the 66th by notching his 10th goal this season with a low curling shot.
Saint-Etienne lost ground in the race for a European spot by blowing the lead twice.
Ivory Coast international Max Gradel cut inside to fire home for the hosts in the 22nd.
But Nice forward Anthony Mounier capitalized on a counterattack to level in the 35th.
Saint-Etienne defender Sylvain Marchal had a header cleared off the line in the 42nd but he pounced on the rebound to score for a 2-1 lead.
Mounier headed in a cross from midfielder Kafoumba Coulibaly to equalize again in the 56th.
Nice fullback Francois Clerc scored the winner by flicking home a corner that was redirected by Renato Civelli in the 89th.
Drawing with Dijon continued Bordeaux’s lacklustre season. It is virtually safe from relegation but also fell out of contention for a European spot, trailing fourth-place Toulouse by eight points.
Fullback Benoit Tremoulinas scored with a spot kick in the 71st following a foul from Dijon defender Abdoulaye Meite on Nicolas Maurice-Belay.
But substitute Thomas Guerbert salvaged a draw for Dijon, sliding in a cross from Zie Diabate just a minute after coming off the bench in the 90th.
Defender Brice Dja Djedje scored the winner for mid-table Evian by converting a cross from Yannick Sagbo in the 19th.
Sochaux came from behind to earn a precious win in the relegation battle.
Brest midfielder Bruno Grougi opened the scoring with a free kick in the third minute.
Modibo Maiga levelled in the 77th with a close-range header off a pass from Ryad Boudebouz.
Sochaux substitute Sloan Privat headed home the winner from a cross by Marvin Martin in the 82nd.
On Sunday, third-place Lille hosts Toulouse, Lyon visits Rennes and Caen faces Ajaccio.