PARIS: Radamel Falcao marked his first start in six weeks with the only goal of the game as Monaco cemented their position at the top of Ligue 1 with a 1-0 win at Angers.
Falcao’s goal came just after the hour mark and against the run of play, and Monaco were holding on at the end against in-form opponents at the Stade Raymond Kopa.
The result extended the principality side’s run without defeat in the league to 13 matches and moved them four points clear at the top of the table with a game in hand on Nice, who won 2-1 at Lille on Friday.
Defending champions Paris Saint-Germain — who hammered Monaco 4-1 in last weekend’s League Cup final — can cut their lead back down to three points if they win at home to Guingamp on Sunday evening.
For Monaco it was the perfect preparation for their Champions League quarterfinal first leg away to Borussia Dortmund in Germany on Tuesday as they stay on course to win their first French title since Claude Puel’s 2000 vintage.
“It is always difficult to play away from home in the French league and more so in Angers. It is not by chance that we lost 3-0 here last year,” said Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim.
Later, any slim hope Lyon had of snatching a top-three finish evaporated as they slumped to a 4-1 defeat at home to struggling Lorient. — AFP
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