PARIS (AP) — American forward Folarin Balogun continued his excellent run of form with another goal as Monaco defeated Angers 2-0 in Ligue 1 while Paris Saint-Germain extended its lead on Saturday.
PSG was four points ahead in the table after beating Le Havre 1-0.
Balogun put the host in the lead in the 57th minute with his fourth goal in seven matches.
Luck was on his side when his header connected with a cross; the ball bounced back on an opponent then on his leg before crossing the goalline.
Monaco dominated and deservedly doubled its lead in the 62nd when Simon Adingra slotted home with a powerful curled shot from outside the box.
Monaco posted a third straight win and moved up to seventh in the standings, with 12th-placed Angers lagging eight points behind.
PSG won thanks to Bradley Barcola, who headed the ball home in the 37th minute from winger Lee Kang-in’s cross. PSG had several chances to add more luster to the scoreline but a shot from Khvicha Kvaratskhelia hit the post and a penalty by Désiré Doué was saved by Le Havre goalkeeper Mory Diaw.
PSG was without injured players including star forward Ousmane Dembélé.
Second-placed Lens drew at Strasbourg 1-1 on Friday.
Nordin’s first goal for Rennes
Having come back to Ligue 1, Arnaud Nordin scored his first goal for Rennes in a 1-0 win over Toulouse.
Nordin struggled for playing time in the Bundesliga with Mainz and joined Rennes on loan in January until the end of the season.
The winger’s goal in the 27th helped Rennes to a third consecutive win. The Brittany club moved level on points with fourth-placed Marseille, which hosts Lyon on Sunday.
On a five-match winless run, Toulouse remained in 10th place.
Nordin jumped higher than defender Charlie Cresswell and broke the deadlock with a header. Nordin previously played for Saint-Etienne and Montpellier. He has more than 200 French league games under his belt.
Rennes hired coach Franck Haise this month following Habib Beye’s exit and was tasked with guiding the team to fourth spot and a place in the Champions League qualifying rounds.
Celebrating grandmas
On the occasion of Grandmothers’ Day in France on Sunday, Rennes got players from both teams to walk onto the pitch accompanied by 22 grandmothers.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
