Radamel Falcao (L) of Monaco vies with Dante of Nice during the match of French Ligue 1 2018-2019 season 17th round match between Monaco and Nice in Fontvieille, Monaco on Jan. 16, 2019. Monaco tied with Nice 1-1 at home. (Xinhua/Serge Haouzi)
PARIS, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- Former teammates Thierry Henry and Patrick Vieira saw their reunion as head coaches of respective Ligue 1 teams Monaco and Nice end in a 1-1 draw on Wednesday.
Henry and Vieira helped France lift up the World Cup in 1998, and played alongside in Premier League club Arsenal.
Monaco, sitting second from bottom, came into the rearranged duel without their new signings in winter transfer window. The four new faces, including Spanish midfielder Cesc Fabregas, were ineligible to play the match initially scheduled last December but postponed due to security concerns.
Nice went ahead on the half hour mark. After Monaco midfielder Youssef Ait Bennasser's poor pass was intercepted, Allan Saint-Maximin sped past Jemerson to beat goalkeeper Benaglio.
Vieira's Nice were reduced to 10 men in stoppage time of the first half. The match referee Benoit Bastien, who had intially shown a yellow card for Ihsan Sacko's foul on Benjamin Henrichs, changed his decision to issue a direct red card after consulting VAR.
The hosts fully took advantage of that, as Benoit Badiashile headed Rony Lopes' corner home to draw level five minutes after the restart.
Both sides squandered chances of rewriting the score later on. Saint-Maximin saw his penalty saved by Benaglio, while Monaco substitute forward hit the post.
Marseille, winless in eight matches in all competitions prior to Wednesday's clash with Saint-Etienne, broke the deadlock in the 16th minute through a superb header from Kevin Strootman on Florian Thauvin's right wing delivery.
Saint-Etienne striker Wahbi Khazri was brought down by goalkeeper Steve Mandanda early in the second half. Although assistant referee waved his flag to signal Khazri's offside, the match referee ratified for a penalty after consulting VAR, and it was converted by Khazri himself in the 59th minute.
Khazri continued to add Marseille's recent rue late in the match. He collected the ball outside the box before firing a shot beyond Mandanda in the 88th minute to set the score at 2-1.
Saint-Etienne move up to third place, one point behind Lille, while Marseille remain at the ninth position.
Monaco's gap over Guingamp has been reduced to just one point as the bottom side beat Rennes 2-1.
Lyon came back from a two-goal deficit to earn one point with a 2-2 draw at Toulouse thanks to late goals from Moussa Dembele and Nabil Fekir, but have been surpassed by Saint-Etienne, down at fourth.
Elsewhere, Nimes edged 10-man Nantes 1-0 at home.
