Nice may have been without Mario Balotelli but they ground out a 1-0 win at Nancy on Sunday (Sep 25) to go back to the top of the Ligue 1 table.

Nice’s players celebrate after scoring against Nancy. (AFP/Jean-Christophe Verhagen)

With Balotelli, scorer of four goals in his first two appearances in French football, left behind on the Cote d’Azur due to an adductor problem, his fellow striker Alassane Plea scored the only goal of the game at the Stade Marcel-Picot.

The result maintained Nice’s unbeaten start to the French season under new coach Lucien Favre and allowed them to end the weekend at the summit after Monaco briefly usurped them on Saturday evening.

Monaco had been taken apart in a 4-0 derby defeat in Nice in midweek but bounced back to beat Angers 2-1 in the absence of Radamel Falcao, who was recovering from concussion.

Nice’s victory means they are a point clear of Monaco and three points clear of Toulouse, who stunned stumbling Paris Saint-Germain 2-0 on Friday to leave the champions in fourth spot.

In a far from memorable contest, a weakened Nice were lucky not to be behind with Nancy having the best chances before the visitors went in front just after the hour mark.

Valentin Eysseric’s delightful ball into the box found Plea and he produced a first-time finish for his third goal of the campaign.

The win came on the day former Nice coach Rene Marsiglia, who was in charge of the side in the 2011/12 season, died after a long battle with cancer at the age of 57.

Earlier on Sunday, Saint-Etienne came good in the second half to beat Lille 3-1 and leave their opponents rooted to the foot of the table.

Slovenian international Robert Beric put Les Verts in front after the hour mark before teenage debutant Arnaud Nordin increased the home side’s advantage.

Renato Civelli pulled one back but Nolan Roux secured the points in stoppage time and Lille are a point adrift of Nancy at the bottom.

This was their fourth straight defeat and it is the first time they have propped up the table since the 1995/96 season.

In the late game, Marseille came from behind to beat Nantes 2-1 at the Velodrome with Clinton Njie cancelling out Emiliano Sala’s opener before Bafetimbi Gomis grabbed the winner from the penalty spot.

It was a fifth goal of the season for Gomis since his return to French football on loan from English Premier League side Swansea City and it gave Marseille just their second win of the campaign.

French Ligue 1 results:

Saint-Etienne 3 Lille 1
Nancy 0 Nice 1
Marseille 2 Nantes 1

Source AFP

A substituted Cristiano Ronaldo cut a disconsolate figure as Real Madrid conceded a late equaliser to draw 2-2 at Las Palmas on Saturday (Sep 24).

Real Madrid’s Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo (L) vies withLas Palmas’ goalkeeper Raul Lizoain Cruz (R) during the Spanish league football match UD Las Palmas vs Real Madrid CF at the Gran Canaria stadium in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria on Sep 24, 2016. (Photo: AFP/Desiree Martin)

Earlier, Barcelona shrugged off the absence of the injured Lionel Messi to move to within a point of Madrid at the top of the table as Luis Suarez and Neymar were on target in a 5-0 thrashing of Sporting Gijon.

Ronaldo was replaced moments after helping Madrid go 2-1 in front when Karim Benzema slotted home the rebound after the Portuguese’s initial effort was saved.

However, he watched on as Sergio Araujo took advantage of some soft Madrid defending to level as the European champions dropped points for the second time in four days.

Madrid boss Zinedine Zidane insisted that, despite a sub-par display, Ronaldo had been replaced to keep him fresh for Tuesday’s Champions League trip to Borussia Dortmund.

“We have another game on Tuesday and he has to rest too now and again,” Zidane told Spanish TV station Movistar.

“It is obvious he always wants to stay on the field, but I have to think about my players and particularly Cristiano. “I have to take him off sometimes and tonight we did it.”

Stung by a poor first-half performance in a 1-1 draw with Villarreal in midweek that snapped a 16-game La Liga winning streak, Madrid pressed high from the off and had 17 shots in a wide open first 45 minutes.

Real made the breakthrough just after the half-hour mark when Javi Varas made a fine save from Nacho’s low effort, but Marco Asensio followed up to head into an empty net.

The lead lasted just five minutes, though, as Raphael Varane’s poor defensive header fell at the feet of Tana, who slotted past the helpless Kiko Casilla.

Varas denied Ronaldo midway through the second half, but substitute Benzema was on hand to turn home the loose ball.

Ronaldo was then replaced by Lucas Vazquez, but didn’t acknowledge Zidane as he sulked off the field.

The three-time World Player of the Year has now completed the 90 minutes just once in Madrid’s six La Liga games so far this season.

And Ronaldo’s mood worsened when Araujo bundled his way past Casilla and Sergio Ramos to slot home the equaliser five minutes from time.

SUAREZ MAGIC

Earlier, Barca overcame a difficult opening half hour to hit five past 10-man Sporting.

Yet, Barca coach Luis Enrique was far from satisfied with his side’s display, particularly early in the second half.

“It is a result that doesn’t tell the true story of the game — 5-0 makes it seem easy and simple and that couldn’t be further from the truth,” he said.

“We were poor at the start of the second half, we didn’t kill the game off and Sporting could have got back into the game.

“Fortunately, that wasn’t to be and after the sending-off it unbalanced the game and allowed us to score those three goals at the end.”

One moment of Suarez magic turned the game in Barca’s favour as he raced onto Arda Turan’s through ball and flicked the ball past the onrushing Ivan Cuellar before slotting into an empty net.

A fine team goal put the game beyond Sporting moments later as Neymar freed Sergi Roberto down the right and Rafinha met his cross with a powerful near-post header.

Barca appeared to have eased up in the second half ahead of Wednesday’s visit to Borussia Moenchengladbach in the Champions League as Sergio Busquets and Suarez were replaced by Denis Suarez and Paco Alcacer.

However, the goals flowed after Alberto Lora dived in on Roberto to leave his side a man light.

Alcacer was denied his first Barca goal when he smashed the ball off the underside of the bar, but Neymar mopped up the rebound to make it 3-0.

Roberto was the provider once more for the fourth as Turan powered home his cross at the back post four minutes later.

Denis Suarez then teed up Neymar to sweep home his second of the game two minutes from time.

Sevilla missed the chance to go level with Madrid at the top as they suffered their first league defeat of the season, losing 3-1 at Athletic Bilbao.

On-loan Manchester City midfielder Samir Nasri netted his first Sevilla goal to cancel out Mikel San Jose’s opener for the Basques.

Mikel Balenziaga put the hosts back in front and Aritz Aduriz sealed Athletic’s fourth straight win which puts them third in the table from the penalty spot after he was elbowed in the back by Salvatore Sirigu, the foul earning the Italian ‘keeper a straight red card.

Source AFP

Paris St Germain suffered their second defeat of the Ligue 1 season when they lost 2-0 at Toulouse after being reduced to 10 men on Friday.

Toulouse’s Swedish midfilder Jimmy Durmaz (2ndL) and teammates celebrate ater he scored the second goal during the French L1 football match Toulouse vs Paris Saint-Germain. (Photo: AFP/Rémy Gabalda)

The champions succumbed to second-half goals by Yann Bodiger and Jimmy Durmaz as they dropped to third in the table with 13 points from seven games.

Toulouse are now second on 14 points, trailing Nice on goal difference before the leaders travel to Nancy on Sunday.

PSG, without Hatem Ben Arfa after the forward was omitted from the squad for the fourth match in a row by coach Unai Emery, were nervy after having Serge Aurier sent off in the 46th minute.

The visitors made a cautious start to the game but soon upped the pace and went close three times before the break.

Keeper Alban Lafont denied Edinson Cavani from point-blank range with a superb save on the half-hour.

Cavani then connected with Maxwell’s 41st-minute cross following a sweeping move but Lafont parried the Uruguayan’s header.

Three minutes later Aurier’s header was cleared from just under the bar by defender Christopher Jullien.

Toulouse were the stronger team at the beginning of the second half and Bodiger converted a penalty in the 48th minute after Aurier fouled Ola Toivonen and picked up his second yellow card.

PSG forward Javier Pastore went on for Brazilian Lucas in the 57th minute but made little impact.

Durmaz put the result beyond doubt 11 minutes from time by beating keeper Alphonse Areola from close range after intercepting a poor Thiago Motta pass.

Monaco, handed their first defeat by Nice on Wednesday, can go top by beating Angers on Saturday.

Source REUTERS / AFP