Bernardo Silva struck an 86th-minute winner as 10-man AS Monaco snatched a 1-0 win away to Nice in the French Riviera derby tonight.
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Second-half substitute Silva pounced in the final four minutes to seal victory in a game that saw Leonardo Jardim's side play 45 minutes with 10 men, after Aymen Abdennour was sent off.
It took the best part of 17 minutes for the game to throw up a chance, and it came for the hosts as Carlos Eduardo's right-footed shot just missed the post.
Geoffrey Kondogbia could, and perhaps should, have given Monaco a narrow lead after a rare foray forward, but he headed Joao Moutinho's cross agonisingly wide on 26 minutes.
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The major talking point came right at the end of the half, when Abdennour was sent off on the stroke of half time for a foul on Romain Genevois.
Claude Puel's side emerged from the break determined to capitalise on their numerical advantage and twice came close through Eduardo.
First, the Brazilian saw his goalbound effort expertly tipped away by Danijel Subasic, before the crossbar denied Eduardo on 66 minutes as the hosts continued to toil.
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Les Aiglons - without a win in three games - maintained their bid for an opener as Souleymane Diawara then forced Subasic into a flying save with 13 minutes remaining.
They would soon come to rue those missed chances, as Silva saw his left-footed shot sneak into the bottom corner as Les Rouge et Blanc move within eight points of Ligue 1 leaders Lyon.
Shane Callaghan
