Falcao keeps Monaco on title track
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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
inform 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 30 here last year," said Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim.
"We made some changes to the team, brought in
tougher players, players who are better in the air, a bit more
aggressive, so that we could go to war."
This always looked likely to be an awkward trip for
Monaco against their fellow French Cup semifinalists, with Angers a
big, strong and physical side who had been unbeaten at home since
December.
Jardim named Falcao in his starting lineup for the
first time since late February with the Colombian looking to prove his
fitness before the Dortmund clash.
Teen sensation Kylian Mbappe made way but Falcao
and Monaco offered little going forward in the first half and were lucky
not to be behind at the interval.
Cameroon forward Karl Toko Ekambi pounced on a
loose ball just outside the Monaco box only to fire wide, while
goalkeeper Danijel Subasic made a crucial intervention in front of
Famara Diedhiou.
The goal arrived in the 61st minute, Nabil Dirar
setting up Falcao for a low rightfoot finish from 12 yards for his 17th
of the season in the league and his 25th altogether.
Angers did not deserve to find themselves behind
but they passed up a glorious chance to level late on when Ismael Traore
turned the ball against the far post following a Thomas Mangani
freekick. Subasic prevented Diedhiou from scoring the follow-up.
"There is no team in the Champions League that plays like that," added Jardim looking ahead to the Dortmund trip.
"Against Dortmund the problem will not be
possession, it will be having only two days to recover before we play in
an international competition."
LYON HUMBLED
Later, any slim hope Lyon had of snatching a
topthree finish evaporated as they slumped to a 4-1 defeat at home to
struggling Lorient.
Corentin Tolisso put Lyon in front but Majeed Waris
equalised before the break and Sylvain Marveaux put Lorient ahead early
in the second half.
Benjamin Moukandjo, Cameroon's Africa Cup of
Nations winning captain, then netted twice as Lorient claimed a third
successive victory to climb out of the bottom two for the first time
since the start of October.
Bordeaux moved back up to fifth and to within five points of Lyon in fourth with a 30 win against Metz.
Brazilian starlet Malcom opened the scoring and
Argentinian midfielder Valentin Vada struck a secondhalf brace, the
first a penalty.
Bastia kept alive their survival hopes with a 2-1 win at Dijon, who join the Corsicans in the bottom two.
Issiar Dia netted twice as Nancy, another relegation threatened side, beat Rennes 3-0 while Montpellier won 2-0 at Caen.
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