Nice fightback in vain as Zakaria brace settles derby in five goal thriller
Prior to kick-off, Monaco had picked up a league-high 14 points this season when conceding the first goal, but they broke the deadlock for a fifth consecutive game across all competitions here.
A moment of pure panache from Denis Zakaria set the tone inside the opening 20 minutes, as the Swiss midfielder fired an unstoppable shot from distance into the top corner, leaving Nice shot-stopper Marcin Bułka helpless between the sticks.
Surprisingly, Zakaria’s thunderbolt did little to affect Francesco Farioli’s game plan. Nice’s incessant search for an opening eventually paid dividends close to half-time when Thilo Kehrer committed a cynical foul in the box, giving the hosts the opportunity to equalise on a platter.
Gaetan Laborde subsequently stepped up to bury the penalty into the bottom-left corner with aplomb to ensure parity at the interval.
Things didn’t turn out as planned following the restart for Farioli and co. though. First, Zakaria gave the visitors’ the lead once more with a superb header into the bottom corner, before the hosts were reduced to ten men with over 30 minutes remaining when Dante accidentally caught Takumi Minamino with his boot following a clearance.
However, against the run of play, Nice’s Evan Guessand rose highest from a corner delivery to head home and level the scoreline again. Les Aiglons’ joy lasted just a few minutes though as the Monegasques reclaimed supremacy for a third time via Aleksandr Golovin, who netted a fifth head-to-head strike from close range.
The league’s best defence ultimately succumbed to the league’s second-best attacking side, as Adi Hutter’s outfit lifted themselves to within a point’s reach of Nice, who are now 11 points adrift of league-leaders Paris Saint-Germain.
A first win in four league outings is bound to give Monaco confidence in the race for UEFA Champions League qualification spot, and they will continue their charge against Toulouse next week.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Denis Zakaria (AS Monaco)
