Monaco within touching distance of first Ligue 1 title since 2000

Monaco have all but clinched the Ligue 1 title for the first time in 17 years after beating Lille 4-0 at Stade Louis II.Radamel Falcao struck early on and added another in the second half after Bernardo Silva had given Monaco a 2-0 interval lead, while Junior Alonso's late own goal sealed a comfortable victory.Closest rivals Paris St Germain won 5-0 at St Etienne to stay three points adrift with one game to play, but Monaco have a vastly superior goal difference.Leonardo Jardim's side, knocked out of the Champions League by Juventus in midweek, need only a point from their remaining two games to rubberstamp their first French crown since 2000 and halt PSG's four-year domestic dominance.Monaco, who play their game in hand against St Etienne at home on Wednesday, eased any nerves against Lille by taking an early lead.Falcao struck his 26th goal of the season in all competitions when heading home Thomas Lemar's cross in the sixth minute.Monaco goalkeeper Danijel Subasic kept the scores level soon after, turning away Naim Sliti's shot in the bottom corner before Monaco threatened through Tiemoue Bakayoko's blocked header and Jemerson's shot, which flew over the crossbar.Subasic kept out another low shot from Lille striker Sliti and team-mate Eder headed Yassine Benzia's cross just over, but just as the visitors were looking to make life uncomfortable for their hosts, Monaco struck again following a swift counter-attack.Kylian Mbappe's blistering pace took him beyond his marker and he then beat his man again in the box before cutting the ball back for Silva to finish emphatically into the roof of the net on the stroke of half-time.Lille refused to lie down in the second half. Jemerson spurned another gilt-edged chance following Lemar's cross and Sliti headed off target.But Monaco put the result beyond doubt in the 69th minute when Falcao grabbed his second of the match, shooting home low into the corner from inside the area following another assist from Mbappe.Djibril Sidibe went close to scoring a fourth for Monaco after being set up by Silva, but Lille continued to play their part, with Fares Bahlouli and Sebastien Corchia both denied by Subasic in the closing stages.Nicolas de Preville also went close for Lille, but a resounding victory was complete for Monaco in the 89th minute when Alonso put the ball in his own net.