Teen Sylla rescues Monaco

PARIS: Bertrand Traore continued his terrific goalscoring form as Lyon recorded their eighth straight victory in Ligue 1 by beating Troyes 3-0, while teenage forward Moussa Sylla hit a vital injury-time winner for Monaco in a 2-1 triumph at Caen on Sunday.

Burkina Faso international Traore struck twice in seven first-half minutes in Lyon, the former Chelsea striker finding the net for the fifth game in a row to move up to 13 goals for the campaign. Maxwel Cornet replaced Nabil Fekir, who has been strongly linked with a move to Liverpool, late on and grabbed a third goal with two minutes left as Lyon stayed in second place and on track to secure automatic qualification for the Champions League.

A three-match winless run had cast serious doubts over Monaco’s return to Europe’s premier club competition next season, but a last-gasp goal from 18-year-old Sylla could provide just the spark they needed. With Radamel Falcao, Stevan Jovetic and Keita Balde all sidelined by injury, France Under-19 international Sylla was handed his full debut by Monaco boss Leonardo Jardim. He needed just 12 minutes to make an impact, scrambling home the rebound after a shot from Belgium international Youri Tielemans crashed back off the post. Caen levelled through Ivan Santini shortly before half-time, but Sylla snatched all three points for Monaco right at the death as he volleyed in a dramatic winner after a weak punch by home goalkeeper Remy Vercoutre. The victory keeps Monaco third, one point clear of Europa League finalists Marseille who came from a goal behind to down Mediterranean rivals Nice 2-1.