Mario Balotelli kept up his fine home form as Nice beat Guingamp 3-1 to keep the pressure on Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain in a closely fought French title race.
Nice’s win briefly moved the club to the top of the league, but Monaco returned to the summit later on Sunday as they secured a 1-1 draw with Paris Saint- Germain.
Balotelli has scored nine goals in 11 league games this season – all of them at home.
The Italian centre forward sealed the win with a late goal after being set up by right back Arnaud Souquet, and Balotelli was also involved in the second goal scored by midfielder Jean Michael Seri.
Striker Alassane Plea opened the scoring in the 11th minute after a superb team move.
Nice passed the ball quickly through midfield and Seri then fed Valentin Eysseric, who cleverly back-heeled the ball into the path of Plea and he rounded the goalkeeper for his 11th league goal this season.
Seri has been one of Nice’s best players and his return from the African Nations Cup, where he was playing for Ivory Coast, was immediately beneficial.
Balotelli used his strength with his back to goal to hold the ball up, allowing Seri the freedom to push forward and he found the net with a slightly deflected strike from the right in the 38th.
Veteran forward Jimmy Briand replied for Guingamp with a fine angled strike midway through the second half, following some poor defending.
But Balotelli had the last word as he ran onto Souquet’s pass and confidently stroked the ball past Swedish goalkeeper Karl-Johan Johnsson in the 87th.
Coach Lucien Favre substituted Balotelli right at the end, allowing the crowd to give him a deserved ovation.
In Sunday’s other match, Toulouse lost 3-0 at home to Saint-Etienne.
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