Ricardo Pereira had handed the hosts a first-half lead with his first goal for the club but Benjamin Moukandjo struck just after the hour mark to level things up.

Balotelli's 85th-minute strike, his sixth goal since signing for Nice at the end of the summer transfer window, secured all three points for Les Aiglons before he was sent off shortly afterwards for a second yellow card.

Sergi Darder scored his first goal of the season as Lyon bounced back from successive defeats with a 2-0 win over St Etienne in the Rhone derby.

Last weekend's league loss in Lorient, followed by a slender Champions League reverse at Sevilla, left Bruno Genesio hopeful of an immediate response from his team.

And former Spain Under-21 international Darder ensured his manager's wishes were realised with a brave back-post header before Rachid Ghezzal made sure late on with a superb strike from outside the penalty area.

Angers denied Marseille a second successive victory by securing a 1-1 draw through Pierrick Capelle's stoppage-time equaliser. Florian Thauvin's deflected 63rd-minute goal had given the visitors the lead.