2-2: Mish'an Spares Nantes After Bordeaux's Two-Goal Burst

Two. That was Bordeaux's lead after 27 minutes, and two was also the number of times Omer Mish'an pulled Nantes back into a derby that had seemed, for half an hour, to be slipping away from them. The visitors leave with a point; Bordeaux leave wondering how a 2-0 cushion became a 2-2 draw.

The first half belonged to the home side, and it did so with a certain insolence. Ernesten Bahanack, a centre-back by trade, was pressed into service at right-back; Renzo García, usually a substitute's story, started on the right wing. In the 22nd minute Emanuele Di Mascio struck. Five minutes later García added the second, and the Matmut Atlantique had the look of a ground enjoying itself enormously at Nantes' expense.

Nantes had arrived with a squad sheet that read like a roll-call of absentees: no Falah, no Coman, no Ali, no Teixeira, no López, no Doukar, no Mba. Adama Doukar, who once scored 15 in 36 for Bordeaux, was not there to haunt his old club. Ismael Al-Mulla, borrowed from Middlesbrough in August, was handed the defensive midfield; Francisco Saiz led the line. It was a patched-up Nantes, and for 45 minutes it showed.

Then came the interval, and with it three changes: Ricardo Roldán, Luciano Reinoso and Ryan Barthelemy. Nantes finished the afternoon in a shape they had not started in, and something in them settled. On 59 minutes Mish'an scored. On 73 he scored again, and the away end — those who had made the trip — had their afternoon back. He ran 13.5 kilometres for the privilege, and added a booking on 76 minutes for good measure, as if to prove the point that he had been everywhere.

Bordeaux will point to the woodwork, struck twice, and to 58 per cent of the play. Nantes will point to four shots on target from nine attempts and to a substitute, Domingos Gomes, who came on and set up the leveller. Bernard Boyer's whistle brought an end to it, honours even, and a fixture that has not always been kind to Bordeaux left them with something at least.