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Monaco climbed into second place in Ligue 1 with a convincing 3-0 home win over an out-of-sorts Marseille on Saturday, boosting their chances of Champions League qualification as the season enters its final stretch.
The result moves Monaco a point ahead of Marseille with five matches remaining. However, the race remains tight, with Lyon—currently in seventh—just four points adrift and holding a game in hand.
Lille, meanwhile, sit fourth, level on points with Marseille but ahead of Strasbourg on goal difference.
The loss was Marseille’s fourth in five league games, as Roberto De Zerbi’s men continue to squander a campaign that once had them firmly in control of second place.
“We need to stay cautious because it’s just a one-point gap,” said Monaco head coach Adi Hütter. “It’s going to be very close with the teams around us.”
Under Ligue 1’s current format, second and third place guarantee automatic qualification for the Champions League, while fourth heads into the qualifiers.
“We’re still alive and have a great chance of making the Champions League,” insisted De Zerbi. “I have nothing to criticise the players for—we must stick together. I’m more optimistic tonight than after some other defeats, even certain wins.”
Takumi Minamino broke the deadlock for Monaco in the 34th minute, capitalising on some slack Marseille defending to score his fifth league goal of the campaign.
Marseille nearly found a response before the break, but Luis Henrique’s strike was well saved by Monaco’s Philipp Köhn.
The hosts then tightened their grip on the match shortly before the hour, as Breel Embolo slotted home following a superb through ball from Vanderson. The goal stood after a prolonged VAR check for offside.
Monaco rounded off the night with a late penalty from Denis Zakaria, giving the scoreline a sheen that could be decisive in the battle for goal difference.
“In the first half, we played well—although we didn’t create many chances, aside from Luis Henrique’s,” said De Zerbi. “But we concede silly goals far too often, and it cost us again.”
Elsewhere in Ligue 1
Strasbourg’s five-match winning streak came to a heartbreaking end as they conceded with the final touch of the game in a 2-2 draw against Nice.
Melvin Bard gave Nice the lead in the 38th minute, finishing off a precise pass from Jonathan Clauss. Strasbourg turned the match around with quickfire goals from Emmanuel Emegha and Samuel Amo-Ameyaw early in the second half.
But deep into added time, Youssouf Ndayishimiye levelled for Nice, lifting them to sixth, just two points behind Strasbourg.
Meanwhile, Lille climbed to fourth after a narrow 2-1 win away at Toulouse. Mathias Fernandez-Pardo opened the scoring, only for Charlie Cresswell to draw the hosts level. But Mitchel Bakker struck in first-half stoppage time to secure the points for Lille.
