Bernardo Silva's late goal helps 10-man Monaco edge out Nice

Updated: May 17, 2023, 06:22 am
Bernardo Silva's goal allowed Monaco to move up to fourth in Ligue 1.
Valery Hache/AFP/Getty Images

Substitute Bernardo Silva struck a late winner to earn 10-man Monaco a 1-0 win at Nice and send them fourth in the Ligue 1 table.

Bernardo Silva netted five minutes from time as Monaco recovered from losing Aymen Abdennour to a red card on the stroke of half-time.

Victory moved Monaco two points ahead of St Etienne, but they are still six off third-placed Paris St Germain.

Nice began strongly, forcing three corners early on, but Valentin Eysseric's deliveries lacked precision.

The hosts forced a shooting chance just after the quarter-hour mark but, with plenty of passing options at his disposal, Carlos Eduardo opted to shoot to very little effect.

The visitors went closest to a first-half opener, but, after Abdennour's cross found Dimitar Berbatov, his volley was well kept out by Mouez Hassen.

Then, with just a few seconds left to play in the first half, Monaco's evening took a turn for the worse when Abdennour was shown a straight red card for a studs-up challenge on Romain Genevois.

Nice initially struggled to make full use of the extra man, but, with little over an hour played, they went close when Kevin Gomis saw his back-post header cleared off the line by Almamy Toure.

The hosts continued to press and moments later Eduardo's effort, straight from Eyserric's corner, beat Monaco goalkeeper Danijel Subasic only to come back off the crossbar.

But it was the 10 men of Monaco who made the crucial breakthrough with five minutes left.

Gomis' hospital pass across his own back four fell to Bernardo Silva and the Portuguese defender made no mistake with a clinical finish that sealed an unlikely three points for the visitors.