AS Monaco have moved to within five points of Paris Saint-Germain at the summit of Ligue 1 with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Nantes.
Mounir Obbadi's 70th-minute strike proved the difference between the sides as Claudio Ranieri's men bagged their first win in four attempts to remain within touching distance of les Parisiens.
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Both French outfits cancelled each other in what proved an insipid opening 45 minutes, with Emmanuel Riviere emerging as most likely candidate to open the scoring.
Joao Moutinho fashioned the game's first chance, crossing for Riviere - restored to the starting lineup for the first time in two months - but the 23-year-old headed over from close range.
The Frenchman was then thwarted in his attempts to break the deadlock by les Canaris goalkeeper Remy Riou, who denied Riviere's clever flick.
The game sparked to life early in the second half, with Radamel Falcao guilty of spurning the game's best opportunity, as the Colombian sliced well wide of the target from a good position.
Ranieri's charges soon found the breakthrough, though, when Obbadi saw his 25-yard effort fizz into the back of the net via a deflection.
Michel Der Zakarian's men wasted a glorious chance to steal a point in the dying stages, with USA international Alejandro Bedoya culpable for the miss by slicing over from close range.
Shane Callaghan
