Sunday 30 October 2016 22:30, UK
Mario Balotelli scored his seventh goal in his last six games as Nice extended their lead at the top of Ligue 1 thanks to a convincing 4-1 win against Nantes on Sunday.
A Wylan Cyprien brace, partnered with goals from Balotelli and Alassane Plea, secured a sixth straight Ligue 1 victory for Les Aiglons, handing them a commanding six-point lead at the summit.
The league leaders began on the front and opened the scoring inside 10 minutes when a bustling run through the middle from Balotelli ended with the ball breaking kindly for Cyprien to roll the ball into an empty net for his second goal in as many games.
Balotelli went one better just before the half-hour mark, superbly beating the offside trap from Jean Michael Seri's pass, before finishing easily for his sixth goal in five Ligue 1 games.
Yacine Bammou had an opportunity to hand his side a lifeline before the interval but, after meeting Lima's cross first time, he could only guide the ball inches over the bar.
However, shortly after the restart, Les Canaris clawed their way back into the game when Mathieu Bodmer was dispossessed on the edge of the area but Emiliano Sala was on hand to fire beyond Yoan Cardinale.
Sala wasted an opportunity moments later after being teed up by Mariusz Stepinski and was made to rue that miss on the hour mark when Plea headed Seri's corner beyond Remy Riou to restore the hosts' two-goal cushion.
And the three points were as good as wrapped up with more than 20 minutes still left to play when Balotelli and Ricardo combined to set up Cyprien for his second of the game with a powerful and clinical finish.
Elsewhere, Rennes extended their unbeaten Ligue 1 run to five games with a 1-0 win over Metz.
Wesley Said's goal 11 minutes into the second half saw the hosts claim a fourth win in the last five games and complete an unbeaten October.
Rennes are now fifth in the table, nine points behind leaders Nice and three behind second-placed Monaco while Metz, by comparison, have lost four straight Ligue 1 games, conceding 13 goals in the process.
Marseille and Bordeaux also drew 0-0 in Ligue 1 at the Stade Velodrome.
The hosts had the better of the chances, with double the number of efforts on goal, but Rudi Garcia's side had to settle for a second successive goalless draw.
