PARIS — Lille coach Christophe Galtier's concerns about a Sunday lunchtime game so soon after playing in Europe proved unfounded, as his side beat Monaco 2-1 to stay second in the French league.
Galthier is emerging as a strong early candidate for the season's best coach. Lille has lost only once in 13 league games, is sitting just two points behind leader Paris Saint-Germain and has qualified from the group stages of the Europa League in some style.
Lille beat and drew with Italian league leader AC Milan, has not lost in five games and netted 12 goals — one more than Zlatan Ibrahimovic's Milan. But Galtier was worried that Thursday night's win against Sparta Prague would leave his key players too tired against Monaco.
After a goalless first half, 20-year-old Canada striker Jonathan David scored with a neat finish from Jonathan Ikone's clever pass.
Midway through the second half, veteran Turkey striker Burak Yilmaz then set up countryman Yusuf Yazici as they broke from the halfway line.
They played together at Trabzonspor — where it was Yazici usually setting up Yilmaz — and their partnership in northern France is blossoming.
Yilmaz scored both against Sparta and Yazici has been scoring freely, having notched back-to-back hat-tricks in Lille's European campaign. The flamboyant attacking midfielder has 10 goals in 14 games overall this season.
Monaco's 19-year-old Italy striker Pietro Pellegri expertly chested down a pass from Cesc Fabregas and finished confidently for a last-minute consolation goal.
Later Sunday, coach Rudi Garcia's Lyon looked to move level on points with Lille and extend its unbeaten run to 10 when it visited Metz.
Also, Nice went to Reims in its first game since coach and France great Patrick Vieira was fired on Friday, following the club's Europa League elimination.
PSG won 3-1 at Montpellier on Saturday, with star striker Kylian Mbappe grabbing his 100th goal since joining the club from Monaco three years ago.
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