Nice pip Toulouse, keep pace with leaders PSG, Lens down Clermont
PARIS: Forward Terem Moffi scored a second-half goal to help OGC Nice claim a 1-0 win at home against Toulouse and remain within touching distance of leaders Paris St Germain in the Ligue 1 title race.
Nice, who are the only unbeaten side in the French top-flight, remain second in the standings on 29 points from 13 games, one adrit of PSG. Toulouse are 15th in the table. Toulouse shot out of the blocks at the Allianz Riviera as they tore through Nice’s defence and had the ball in the net in the second minute, but the goal was ruled out to due to a foul by Vincent Sierro in the build-up.
The visitors continued to cause problems for Nice, but ater weathering the storm in a goalless first half, Francesco Farioli brought on Alexis Claude-mauriceinplaceofsofianediopathaltime.
The reshuffle seemed to spark Nice into life and they broke the deadlock in the 54th minute when Morgan Sanson squared for the onrushing Moffi, who sloted home a simple finish for his fourth league goal of the season.
Substitute Ibrahim Cissoko came close to levelling the game in the 80th minute with a low drive, but Dante’s last-ditch block took the venom out of the shot before Khephren Thuram’s booted the ball away to ensure an eighth straight clean sheet for his side.
Earlier, Lens extended their unbeaten run to eight matches on Saturday with a 3-0 victory at Clermont, before turning their atentions to Wednesday’s Champions League game at Arsenal.
Elye Wahi’s early strike got Lens up and running before Adrien Thomasson and Wesley Said’s second-half strikes completed the job in a match in which both teams were reduced to 10 men.
Lens beat Arsenal at home in October but might need another shock result next week to keep their first Champions League campaign since 2002 alive.
The French club sit third in Group B, behind PSV Eindhoven on head-to-head record and four points adrit of leaders Arsenal.
“The level that awaits us on Wednesday is that of a big mountain stage, a beyond category climb,” said Lens coach Franck Haise, using cycling as a comparison.
“We will have to rise to that level. We have done it once. We will see if we are able to do it twice.”
Saturday’s win lited sixth-placed Lens to within one point of the top four as last season’s runners-up continue to improve ater a poor start this term.
Later on Saturday, Marseille’s winless run stretched to four league matches ater a 1-1 draw at Strasbourg. The southern giants fell behind early on as Emanuel Emegha put the home team ahead, although Jonathan Clauss levelled before the half-hour mark.
But Gennaro Gatuso’s men could not find a winner and sit ninth in the table, 16 points behind leaders Paris Saint-germain who thumped Monaco 5-2 on Friday.