Golovin scores 3 as 4th-place Monaco wins 7th straight game

Paris - Monaco’s total of 35 goals conceded is the highest of the top six but it has now scored 50

Aleksandr Golovin scored a hat trick and set up the other goal as Monaco won 4-3 at Nimes for a seventh straight win in the French league on Sunday.

Russia’s midfield star from the 2018 World Cup put Monaco 2-0 up with identical-looking goals inside 11 minutes, ghosting to the back post to meet two crosses from the left by Fode Ballo-Toure.

Striker Wissam Ben Yedder had a goal disallowed soon after as Monaco made a rampant start, only for its leaky defense to allow Nimes to get back in the game. Zinedine Ferhat set up Lucas Deaux and then scored himself to make it 2-2 after 30 minutes of a thrilling half.

Fourth-place Monaco’s total of 35 goals conceded is the highest of the top six but it has now scored 50.

Golovin restored the lead in the 61st when his free kick from the left went past everyone, including unsighted goalkeeper Baptiste Reynet, for his hat trick. He then played striker Kevin Volland through for the fourth in the 76th. Niclas Eliasson pulled one back for last-place Nimes with a free kick.

Niko Kovac’s slick coaching has helped move Monaco up the table, and it faces defending champion Paris Saint-Germain in two weeks.

Later Sunday, Lille needed a win at Nantes to reclaim top spot from Lyon, and PSG was playing at bitter rival Marseille.

Neymar was in the PSG squad after recovering from gastroenteritis but Marseille was without imposing striker Arkadiusz Milik, who has a minor thigh injury.

Tensions have been running high at Marseille with coach Andre Villas-Boas resigning this week, just days after a mob of angry fans stormed the training ground in protest at bad results.

To prevent any further incidents, 400 police officers were deployed around the stadium and elsewhere in the city.

OTHER MATCHES

Defender Vitorino Hilton made his 500th appearance in the French first division and the 43-year-old Brazilian finished on the winning side as Montpellier beat struggling Dijon 4-2.

Hwang Ui-jo continued his good form with a second-half goal but it was not enough as Bordeaux lost 2-1 at Brest. The South Korea forward profited from a mix-up in defense to fire in his fourth goal in the last five games, but Benin striker Steve Mounie and midfielder Romain Faivre netted late goals for Brest.

Also, it was: Nice 3, Angers 0; and Saint-Etienne 1, Metz 0.

Lyon swept aside Strasbourg on Saturday with Memphis Depay scoring twice.