Balde strikes for Monaco as Ranieri’s Nantes fly high
PARIS: Keita Balde netted his first goal since his big-money summer move to Monaco as the reigning French champions eased to a welcome 2-0 victory at home to Caen in Ligue 1.
Balde got the opener midway through the first half and the prolific Radamel Falcao added a penalty just before the hour mark as Monaco recorded a first win in five outings in all competitions.
The principality side are second in the Ligue 1 table, three points behind leaders Paris St Germain.
They are also two points clear of Nantes, who marked veteran coach Claudio Ranieri’s 66th birthday with a late 2-1 victory at home to Guingamp to move up to third on Saturday.
“Against Besiktas we didn’t play badly but our opponents were more clinical,” said Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim.
“We worked hard and it was the same today. We won well.”
Senegal forward Balde, 22, was bought late in the summer transfer window from Lazio on a fiveyear deal after impressing with 16 goals in the Italian top flight last season, despite making only 21 starts.
His signing was made to help fill the void left by Kylian Mbappe, the teenage sensation who was allowed to join PSG on an initial loan deal.
Ranieri, who turned 66 on Friday, is working wonders with limited resources at Nantes and the Canaries extended their unbeaten run to eight games as they beat Guingamp.
In contrast, it goes from bad to worse for Marcelo Bielsa, who saw his Lille side slump to second-bottom after they ended with 10 men in a 1-0 loss at Rennes.
There were also wins for Amiens, Toulouse and Dijon, who won 2-1 at Metz to inflict a ninth defeat in 10 games this season on the bottom side. — AFP