Mario Balotelli was sent off on his return to OGC Nice, but Lucien Favre’s side held on for a 1-0 win against Lorient on Saturday, which closed the gap on Ligue 1 leaders AS Monaco.
Wylan Cyprien scored the only goal of the game in Brittany, collecting Arnaud Souquet’s pass and firing home from inside the area in the 15th minute.
The result allowed Nice to go back above Paris Saint-Germain into second place and close to within three points of Monaco, who could only draw 1-1 against SC Bastia on Friday.
Photo: AFP
“To win away from home does us good and it is well deserved because we had to hold on at 10 against 11,” Favre said.
“We saw how difficult it is for all teams with the Monaco result, so logically it was going to be difficult for us too,” he said.
Balotelli was sent off after apparently talking out of turn to match referee Tony Chapron midway through the second half.
Photo: AFP
It was his third red card this season in the French top flight, although his first, also against Lorient in October last year, was later overturned.
“I didn’t see what happened. All of a sudden the card came out. Apparently there were words,” Favre said.
The Italian, who has scored nine league goals, has endured a frustrating couple of weeks. He was dropped from the team for a 1-0 win against AS Saint-Etienne and then missed last week’s draw against Stade Rennais due to illness, but returned in Lorient in place of injured leading scorer Alassane Plea.
It was a first away win since the end of November for Nice, while Lorient remain rooted to the foot of the table.
Elsewhere, Olympique de Marseille overcame the absence of injured leading scorer Bafetimbi Gomis to beat Rennes 2-0 and boost their hopes of European qualification.
Clinton Njie and Florian Thauvin, the latter with a superb strike, both netted in the second half for the hosts as Marseille moved to within a point of fourth-placed Olympique Lyonnais, albeit having played two games more.
“We had an obligation to win here and it was quite an accomplished performance,” said Marseille coach Rudi Garcia, whose team face great rivals PSG next.
“Life without Bafe is possible, but in a different style. Now we have eight days before the match against PSG, but first of all we will enjoy this result,” he said.
On-loan Swansea City striker Gomis, scorer of 16 league goals this season, sustained a knee injury in last weekend’s defeat against Nantes that will rule him out for about a month.
Njie, filling in as the central striker, fired home first-time after the ball broke to him inside the area to open the scoring just before the hour mark.
Five minutes later Marseille had scored again thanks to a superb goal from Thauvin as he smashed a shot high into the net on his left foot to make it 2-0.
There was no way back after that for Rennes, who have now gone 10 league games without a win.
Lille OSC eased their relegation fears with a 1-0 win against fellow strugglers Stade Malherbe Caen in their first game under new coach Franck Passi.
They had defender Adama Soumaoro sent off just after the hour mark, but Anwar El Ghazi, a January signing from Ajax, struck the only goal of the game with 20 minutes remaining.
Giant Malian striker Cheick Diabate’s late penalty secured a 1-1 draw for Metz at home against Nantes, while Angers SCO beat AS Nancy-Lorraine 1-0.
US track and field athletes have about four dozen pieces to choose from when assembling their uniforms at the Olympics. The one grabbing the most attention is a high-cut leotard that barely covers the bikini line and has triggered debate between those who think it is sexist and others who say they do not need the Internet to make sure they have good uniforms. Among those critical or laughing at the uniforms included Paralympian Femita Ayanbeku, sprinter Britton Wilson and even athletes from other countries such as Britain’s Abigail Irozuru, who wrote on social media: “Was ANY female athlete consulted in
Four-time NBA all-star DeMarcus Cousins arrived in Taiwan with his family early yesterday to finish his renewed contract with the Taiwan Beer Leopards in the T1 League. Cousins initially played a four-game contract with the Leopards in January. On March 18, the Taoyuan-based team announced that Cousins had renewed his contract. “Hi what’s up Leopard fans, I’m back. I’m excited to be back and can’t wait to join the team,” Cousins said in a video posted on the Leopard’s Facebook page. “Most of all, can’t wait to see you guys, the fans, next weekend. So make sure you come out and support the Beer
Former US Masters champion Zach Johnson was left embarrassed after a foul-mouthed response to ironic cheers from spectators after a triple bogey at Augusta National on Friday. Johnson, the 2007 Masters winner, missed the cut after his three-over-par round of 75 left him on seven-over 151 for 36 holes, his six on the par-three 12th playing a big role in his downfall. Television footage showed Johnson reacting to sarcastic cheers and applause when he tapped in for the triple bogey by yelling: “Oh fuck off.” Such a response would be considered bad form in any golf tournament, but is particularly out of keeping
The sacred flame for the Paris Olympics was lit yesterday in Olympia, Greece, the birthplace of the ancient Games, in a ceremony inspired by antiquity and marked by messages of hope amid multiple global crises. “In ancient times, the Olympic Games brought together the Greek city states, even — and in particular — during times of war and conflict,” International Olympic Committee president Thomas Bach said. “Today, the Olympic Games are the only event that brings the entire world together in peaceful competition. Then as now, the Olympic athletes are sending this powerful message — yes, it is possible to compete fiercely