Balotelli brace helps send Nice top of Ligue 1

CONTROVERSIAL star Mario Balotelli continued his fine start to life on the French Riviera by helping fire Nice to the top of Ligue 1 on Wednesday. The Italy international scored his second brace in as many league appearances for Nice in a 4-0 thumping of local rivals Monaco to leap-frog champions Paris Saint-Germain at the top of the table. The often wayward 26-year-old now has four goals in three games since he joined the Cote d’Azur outfit on a free transfer from Liverpool, where his career had stalled over the last couple of years.