On Sunday at the Stade Gabriel-Montpied, Montpellier Hérault SC and Clermont Foot faced off in a match that ended in a 1-1 draw. The result earned both teams a point, which is crucial given their positions in the relegation battle in Ligue 1.
Montpellier's attack registered ten total shots in the first half as Michel Der Zakarian looked for the opening goal. Despite the high volume of shots, it was Clermont Foot who found the opening goal thanks to Muhammed Cham converting his penalty kick shot in the first half stoppage time.
In the second half, Clermont's attack showed more aggression with seven total shots as the team looked for the insurance goal to ensure they left with all three points. Even with Les Lanciers' bold approach, Montpellier leveled the scoring courtesy of a goal from Tanguy Coulibaly in the 56th minute.
The point serves La Paillade well in the relegation battle as they're now seven points above FC Lorient, who currently occupy the relegation playoff spot. Montpellier aims to continue to distance themselves from the bottom three spots when they face Stade de Reims next Sunday.
Although the point is useful to Clermont Foot, dropping the other two points after having the lead at home is disappointing. A win would've put Pascal Gastien and his team within two points of Lorient, but with the draw, they now trail Les Merlus by four points.
Clermont Foot will face RC Lens next Saturday and with five games left in their Ligue 1 season, the team needs wins to get themselves out of the relegation zone.
