Nice retain top spot in France with 1-0 win at St Etienne



Nice stayed three points clear at the top of Ligue 1 after Valentin Eysseric's fine second-half goal gave them a 1-0 win away to St Etienne in an entertaining match on Sunday. The result put Nice on 32 points from 13 games, three ahead of second-placed Monaco, who won 3-0 at Lorient on Friday, and champions Paris Saint Germain in third after they beat Nantes 2-0 at home on Saturday. Nice were missing suspended striker Mario Balotelli but still created plenty of chances either side of Eysserick's clinical 63rd-minute strike into the top corner from 15 metres. There were muted celebrations by the 24-year old midfielder, who spent last season on loan at St Etienne, scoring six league goals in 29 games before returning to Nice in the close season. Nice striker Alassane Plea missed two easy chances within minutes shortly after Eysseric scored and Jean Michel Seri also twice came close in the first half, with St Etienne's Stephane Ruffier making several fine saves.
The keeper pushed over a spectacular Younes Belhanda lob from the halfway line deep into stoppage time moments after the hosts had missed a great chance to equalise when Loic Perrin blasted the ball over the bar from five metres.The Liverpool castoff scored a magnificent curled shot after 86 minutes of play, tilting the balance of the match towards the hosts, who are the surprise Ligue 1 leaders after eight fixtures with 20 points.The oft-troubled forward boasts the best goal-per-minute ratio in the major European leagues, beating the opposing goalkeepers every 51 minutes of play. As soon as he sealed his fifth goal in three matches, Balotelli decided it was time to engage in his classic shenanigans. Referee Ruddy Buquet awarded the Italian a corresponding yellow card for taking his shirt off after the winning goal. Just five minutes later, the official proceeded to eject the striker after a minor scuffle with Lorient defender Steven Moreira.

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