Falcao strikes again as Monaco go top in France

Radamel Falcao lashed home seconds after coming on as Monaco usurped Nice at the top of Ligue 1 with a 3-0 away at bottom side Lorient on Friday.

Monaco, who face Tottenham Hotspur at Stade Louis II on Tuesday in the Champions League, go provisionally top on goal difference with Nice at Saint-Etienne on Sunday.

Champions Paris Saint-Germain, the third team in what looks increasingly like a three-horse race for the French title, host Nantes on Saturday. They are on 26 points, three behind Monaco and Nice.

Monaco, who started revitalised striker Falcao on the bench, presumably with Tottenham in mind, should have been ahead after just 40 seconds but forward Valere Germain headed wastefully over when unmarked.

Soon after Lorient, who have brought in journeyman Bernard Casoni to replace previous coach Sylvain Ripoll, ought to have gone ahead through Steven Moreira, but he shot wide with only Monaco goalkeeper Danijel Subasic to beat.

A goal looked only a matter of time as both sides spurned chances, with Monaco in particular looking frail at the back.

The two sides went into the break goalless, but just three minutes after the restart Monaco went a whisker from taking the lead when midfielder Thomas Lemar drove unchallenged from the half-way line and let fly from outside the box, only for his shot to veer away and strike the foot of the post before pinging away to safety.

The rain was falling heavily now and the game threatened to become a damp squib with both sides failing to get to grips with the deteriorating conditions in northwestern France.

Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim had seen enough and sent on Falcao on 63 minutes.

Barely a minute later the Colombian had scored after the ball bounced off a Lorient defender and fell into his path for him to smash home first time for his sixth goal in his last five games.

Three minutes later the visitors went 2-0 ahead, Lemar bending the ball with his left foot up and over the wall and into the far corner with a beautiful free-kick.

Three minutes into injury time it was 3-0 as another substitute, Gabriel Boschilia, hit a free-kick that ricocheted off the Lorient wall and looped in.

Lorient remain rooted to the bottom of Ligue 1 with seven points from 13 games.