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Attendance: 32,760
Nantes
Ligue 1 | Gameweek 1
Aug 11, 2018 at 4pm UK
 
Monaco

1-3

Sala (90')
FT(HT: 0-0)
Lopes (69'), Jovetic (80'), Falcao (83')

Monaco storm to victory at Nantes with three second-half goals

Rony Lopes, Stefan Jovetic and Radamel Falcao score in the space of 14 second-half minutes as Monaco cruise to a 3-1 win over Nantes in their Ligue 1 opener.

Last season's Ligue 1 runners-up Monaco have eased to a 3-1 win over Nantes in their opening league match of the 2018-19 campaign.

Les Monegasques netted three times in 14 second-half minutes through Rony Lopes, Stefan Jovetic and Radamel Falcao, before Emiliano Sala pulled one back for the hosts right at the end.

Monaco, backed as fourth favourites to win the French top flight this term, join Marseille on maximum points at the top of the division following Les Phoceens' thumping win against Toulouse on Friday night.

Jordi Mboula flashed wide from the first chance of the afternoon after being picked out by Youri Tielemans, but an even bigger opportunity fell the way of Valentin Rongier 18 minutes in.

The midfielder blasted over the bar when picked out near the penalty spot, and the same player then forced Diego Benaglio into a simple stop.

Monaco's best first-half openings saw Mboula's header from point-blank range kept out by Ciprian Tatarusanu and Sofiane Diop come within inches of connecting with Lopes's cross from the right.

Diop did have the ball in the net before the end of the opening 45 minutes, only for the offside flag to rule the goal out, but the visiting side would soon find their groove.

Lopes stooped in to header Jovetic's deflected cross at the far post for Monaco's first goal of the campaign.

Then, after Tatarusanu produced fine stops to keep out a Jovetic free kick and Falcao's attempt from a corner, Jovetic rolled the ball in at the near post at the end of a swift counter that started with Benaglio making a key save.

Falcao's simple finish in the six-yard box at the end of a Samuel Grandsir cross rounded off the visitors' scoring, but substitute Sala did net a late consolation for Nantes with his side-foot finish off the post.

NANTES: Tatarusanu; Kwateng, Djidji, Diego Carlos, Lima; Toure, Moutoussamy; Evangelista (Alegue 86'), Rongier, Dabo (Sala 72'); Coulibaly (Waris 72')

MONACO (4-2-3-1): Benaglio; Pierre-Gabriel, Glik, Jemerson, Barreca (Serrano 88'); Aholou, Tielemans; Mboula (Falcao 67'), Diop (Grandsir 67'), Rony Lopes; Jovetic

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A general view inside the ground prior to the UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg match between AS Monaco FC and Juventus at Stade Louis II on April 22, 2015 in Monaco, Monaco.
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Today's games header
Tables header RHS
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
CParis Saint-GermainPSG312010176294770
2MonacoMonaco31177758411758
3Brest31168749331656
4Lille311510645271855
5Nice31149836251151
6Lens31137114034646
7Marseille31111194738944
8Lyon31135134251-944
9Rennes31119114841742
10Toulouse311010113840-240
11Reims31117133845-740
12Montpellier HSCMontpellier31911113943-437
13StrasbourgStrasbourg3199133444-1036
14NantesNantes3195172949-2032
15Le HavreLe Havre31611143041-1129
16Metz3185183251-1929
17Lorient3168173761-2426
18Clermont31510162550-2525


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