Monaco moves closer to a Champions League spot after beating Marseille
PARIS (AP) — Monaco moved closer to a Champions League spot for next season after downing struggling Ligue 1 rival Marseille 3-0 at home on Saturday.
Japan forward Takumi Minamino, Switzerland striker Breel Embolo and captain Denis Zakaria scored at Stade Louis II as Monaco leapfrogged Marseille and moved into second place.
Paris Saint-Germain clinched a record-extending 13th title last weekend with six games to spare, but the race for the three remaining Champions League places is very much on with six teams in contention.
The top three get an automatic spot in the Champions League with the team in fourth spot entering qualifying. There are five rounds left following this weekend’s games.
Monaco took the lead in the 34th minute after Marseille lost the ball in midfield.
Embolo released striker Mika Biereth breaking down the right. After his effort was blocked, the ball rolled out to Lamine Camara and he poked it to Minamino, who finished from close range.
Poor marking allowed Vanderson to slip a pass to the unmarked Embolo in the 58th minute and he clipped the ball into the bottom corner, and then gave Biereth a piggyback as they celebrated.
Marseille’s defending has been poor all season and got even worse for the third goal.
The defenders failed to deal with a routine high ball and goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli ended up dragging down Embolo. Zakaria guided his penalty into the top right corner.
It was Marseille’s fourth loss in five league games and coach Roberto De Zerbi’s side is now under pressure to hold third place.
Fourth-placed Lille and fifth-placed Strasbourg — which are separated by goal difference — are only two points behind Marseille.
Strasbourg could have moved level with Marseille but conceded a goal four minutes into stoppage time in a 2-2 home draw with sixth-placed Nice.
Lille won 2-1 at Toulouse largely thanks to goalkeeper Lucas Chevalier, who is an outstanding shot-stopper and widely regarded as a future France No. 1.
The 23-year-old caught the eye again, making four consecutive saves midway through the second half to deny Toulouse an equalizer.
Lille’s goals came from Belgian winger Matias Fernandez-Pardo and Dutch right back Mitchel Bakker, while English center half Charlie Creswell scored for Toulouse.
In the other game, defender Melvin Bard put Nice ahead late in the first half and Dutch striker Emanuel Emegha equalized early into the second for his 13th league goal.
Strasbourg moved ahead in the 54th minute through 18-year-old striker Samuel Amo-Ameyaw’s composed finish.
English coach Liam Rosenior’s Strasbourg side — which travels to play Monaco next weekend — looked set for a sixth straight league win until Burundi midfielder Youssouf Ndayishimiye headed in a late corner from Jonathan Clauss.
Resurgent Lyon can move into fourth place with a victory at Auxerre on Sunday.
PSG is exempt from playing this weekend to better prepare for its Champions League quarterfinal return leg against Aston Villa on Tuesday.
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