Monaco extend unbeaten run to keep Ligue 1 summit in reach

Paris (AFP) – Monaco extended their unbeaten run to 12 games with a 2-0 win over Brest on Sunday to move Niko Kovac’s in-form side to within three points of the top of Ligue 1.

Goals deep into the second half from Stevan Jovetic and Kevin Volland sealed the Principality club’s ninth win from their last 10 outings.

Monaco climbed level with third-place Lyon on 55 points, with the team they saw off last week, Paris Saint-Germain, two points in front in second behind leaders Lille.

Lyon are at crisis-hit Marseille on Sunday evening after Lille host Strasbourg.

PSG bounced back from their 2-0 loss to Monaco at the Parc des Princes with a comfortable Kylian Mbappe-inspired 4-0 victory over last-placed Dijon on Saturday to keep tabs on Lille.

Mbappe’s double and goals from Moise Kean and Danilo Pereira left Mauricio Pochettino’s team one point adrift of Lille ahead of Sunday’s late action.

At Monaco’s Louis II stadium, Brest keeper Gautier Larsonneur had kept the visitors in the hunt, especially when denying Wissam Ben Yedder from the penalty spot after half an hour.

But he was finally beaten by Jovetic in the 75th minute, with German forward Volland cementing the three points in the final minute.