Balotelli's spot-kick cancelled out Gaeten Laborde's early opener at the Allianz Riviera, but it was Valentin Eysseric who won it with his 27th-minute effort to cement the home side in third place in the table.

Nice, who are unbeaten in eight games, are now just a single point worse off than second-placed Paris Saint-Germain and four adrift of leaders Monaco.

Bordeaux, whose only defeats in their 12 previous league outings had come against the top two, gave as good as they got for long periods, but were unable to find a way back into the game.

Firmin Ndombe Mubele came off the bench to snatch a 1-1 draw for 10-man Rennes as fourth-placed Lyon allowed victory to slip from their grasp.

The home side played with a man less for 85 minutes after defender Ramy Bensebaini was dismissed for handball, although Alexandre Lacazette saw the resulting penalty saved by keeper Benoit Costil on a costly afternoon for the visitors.

Maxwel Cornet fired Lyon into a 52nd-minute lead but Mubele secured a point nine minutes from time with a shot from distance.

Lorient held off Caen for a narrow 1-0 victory as both teams finished with 10 men.

Lorient, who started the day propping up the table, gave their survival hopes a boost with a 1-0 victory over Caen in a stormy affair at the Stade du Moustoir.

Benjamin Moukandjo fired them into a 29th-minute lead but they found themselves up against it when midfielder Francois Bellugou was sent off for a foul on Jonathan Delaplace four minutes after the restart.

Caen frontman Ronny Rodelin and defender Damien da Silva missed chances to level, and their chances of a fightback were dealt a blow nine minutes from time when the latter was shown a red card for a foul.

Toulouse got their first win in Montpellier since 2004 thanks to Andy Delort's lone goal of the match.

Andy Delort fired Toulouse to a first win in six at Montpellier, scoring the only goal of a 1-0 triumph as half-time approached.

Striker Delort opened the scoring after running on to Christopher Julien's knockdown at the end of a half during which both sides had previously gone close.

Delort, Issa Diop and Oscar Trejo all forced early saves from keeper Laurent Pionnier, while Montpellier's Stephane Sessegnon, Isaac Mbenza and Yacouba Sylla threatened at the other end.

Prejuce Nakoulma's brace powered Nantes' 2-1 home win over Angers.

Prejuce Nakoulma's double was enough to claim a 2-1 victory for Nantes over Angers in an explosive start to the second half at La Beaujoire.

The striker's close-range left-footed finish handed his side a 48th-minute lead, and he doubled his tally within six minutes when he fired home right-footed.

However, frontman Famara Diedhiou headed the visitors back into the game from Issa Cissokho's cross within seconds to spark an onslaught.

But Angers could not rescue the game as they slipped to just a second defeat in seven in the league, with Cissokho sent off for a foul on Guillaume Gillet four minutes from time.