FC Nantes

Leading Kenyan striker Dennis Oliech finally made his long awaited debut for French Ligue 1 side FC Nantes on Sunday in a 1-1 draw with third placed Lille.

Oliech was introduced into the match in the 66th minute and played a key role in the remaining 23 minutes of the game gaining applause from his coach Serge Dizet.

Nantes, placed 14th in the league with 36 points from 30 matches started the match on a high with Argentine Julio Rossi beating Senegalese Tony Sylva in the Lille goal to celebrate his first goal for the Nantes popularly known as Canaries.

After a series of poor results which saw FC Nantes earn only a single point in their last four matches, coach Dizet had demanded a better show from his players. With nine matches to go before the end of the season and relegation staring the former French champions on the face, Nantes were charged up throughout the game.

Oliech who has been nursing a knee injury since joining the French side from Qatar's Al Arabi came on alongside Mamadou Diallo bringing punch in the attack.

But it was Lille led by Cameroon's Manchester United target Jean Makoun who earned a point when they scored the equaliser in the 85th minute through Abdulkader Keita.

"I am very impressed by my performance and though I felt a little bit rusty because of the two months I have been nursing my injury, this game was a good start for my career in the French League," Oliech told The Daily Nation via e-mail.

Avoid relegation

"I look forward to our next match and hope to score. By then I will be in better shape. Our mission now is to avoid relegation, then pick up next season," he added.

Nantes goalkeeper Mickael Landreau said Sunday he will leave the team at the end of the season.

Landreau, who has been linked with a move to Paris Saint-Germain, joined Nantes as a 13-year-old and has won three caps for France during his tenure with the club.

"I have decided to leave FC Nantes at the end of the season," Landreau said. "I have always been ambitious, wanted to move forward. To do that, I need a new challenge."

Landreau has made 329 league appearances for Nantes, and helped the club win the league title in 2001.

"I knew it would not be an easy decision to leave," Landreau said. "Of course I will give my maximum until the end of the season and hopefully we can add another trophy."

Nantes, which is in 14th place in the French first division, is next scheduled to play Calais in the French Cup quarter-finals.