USMNT forward Folarin Balogun scored for the eighth consecutive league match, helping Monaco secure a 2-2 draw against struggling Auxerre in Ligue 1 on Sunday.
Monaco is among several teams vying for a Champions League spot next season, with the top three teams gaining direct entry and the fourth entering a qualifying round. This draw leaves Monaco in seventh place with just four matches remaining.
Elsewhere on Sunday, league leaders Paris Saint-Germain faced Lyon.
Balogun leveled the score with a penalty in the 59th minute after being fouled by goalkeeper Donovan Léon while attempting to go around him. Former Barcelona midfielder Ansu Fati had previously scored Monaco’s first goal with a low shot from just outside the penalty area three minutes earlier.
Photo by Valery HACHE / AFP via Getty Images
Auxerre took an early lead thanks to midfielder Kévin Danois, who scored with a volley from the edge of the box in the 11th minute. Striker Lassine Sinayoko extended their advantage to 2-0 in the 33rd minute when his shot slipped under the body of goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky.
Monaco now trails fourth-place Marseille by two points, following Marseille’s 2-0 defeat to Lorient on Saturday. This loss marked Marseille’s third in four games, leading to a harsh critique from the club’s sporting director.
Auxerre remains in 16th place, sitting just above the relegation playoff zone against the third-place team in Ligue 2.
In Sunday’s other matches, Strasbourg took on Champions League contenders Rennes, while bottom-placed Metz faced Paris FC and struggling Nantes played against Brest.
On Friday, second-placed Lens came back from 2-0 down to defeat Toulouse 3-2.