Nice take over the Ligue 1 throne thanks to Bulka and Boga, two penalties not enough for Balogun

Jérémie Boga notched a stunning late winner to take all three points for OGC Nice, ending AS Monaco’s unbeaten start to the Ligue 1 season in dramatic fashion after Folarin Balogun twice missed from the spot on his first start for the club.

Balogun was the hosts’ big-name signing this summer, and although he opened his account in the draw with Lorient last time out, the ex-Arsenal marksman’s nightmare outing began when Marcin Bułka palmed away his tame spot-kick in the opening quarter of an hour, with dependable penalty-taker Wissam Ben Yedder watching on blank-faced from the bench.

The visitors were wasteful in front of goal until the end of the half, with Sofiane Diop missing the bulk of the chances against his former club. But dangerman Terem Moffi, who scored twice in Monaco last season and against Paris Saint-Germain last week, began gradually exerting his influence on the contest. It was therefore no surprise to see the sharp-shooting Nigerian cause problems at Stade Louis-II, and his low effort across goal forced Philipp Köhn into a smart save before the interval.

The spotlight returned to Balogun minutes into the second period, when referee Benoît Millot awarded another penalty for a foul on Takumi Minamino. Up stepped the 22-year-old, who opted for power in an attempt to make amends, but Bułka again got in the way to leave Monaco’s frontman scratching his head.

As Nice sought to capitalise, Youssouf Ndayishimiye fired the first warning shot by heading onto the crossbar, but Boga stole the show with an electric run and emphatic finish in stoppage time that sparked rapturous celebrations from the travelling supporters.

The result propels Les Aiglons above Monaco to the top of the table, sealing back-to-back league wins for the first time since February. Adi Hütter’s Rouges et blancs, meanwhile, will be left to rue what should have been, ahead of a tough clash with Olympique de Marseille up next.

LIGUE 1 - MATCHDAY 6

Friday

Monaco - Nice 0-1 (0-0)

/Boga 90+1/

Saturday

18.00: (2.45) Nantes (3.45) Lorient (3.05)

22.00: (2.65) Brest (3.25) Olympique Lyon (2.75)

Sunday

14.00: (3.00) Metz (3.25) Strasbourg (2.60)

16.00: (1.75) Lens (3.70) Toulouse (5.40)

16.00: (2.45) Le Havre (3.20) Clermont (3.00)

18.05: (2.70) Montpellier (3.35) Rennes (2.60)

21.45: (1.67) PSG (3.90) Olympique Marseille (5.00)

Tuesday

22.00: (2.15) Lille (3.60) Reims (3.50)

***odds are subject to change