PARIS — Hakon Arnar Haraldsson netted two goals as Lille triumphed over Monaco with a score of 2-1 on Saturday, allowing Lille to move ahead of their league rivals and secure third place in the French league standings.
Currently, Lille holds 41 points, just one point above their rivals Nice and Monaco. Nice, in fourth place, has a game in hand and is set to face the struggling Montpellier on Sunday.
The match at the Pierre Mauroy stadium saw Lille establish control early on, and they were rewarded for their efforts in the 22nd minute when Haraldsson broke the stalemate. The Icelandic midfielder received a pass from Ngal’ayel Mukau and made his way towards goal unchallenged, executing a precise shot from the edge of the box into the corner of the net.
Monaco responded positively and came close to equalizing around the 30-minute mark when Eliesse Ben Seghir’s outside-foot attempt narrowly missed the target after receiving a low cross from Vanderson.
However, Monaco continued to display their season-long trend of errors, which led to Lille’s second goal. A careless pass from Wilfred Singo to Denis Zakaria created a chance for Lille; under pressure in the penalty area, Zakaria lost the ball, enabling Haraldsson to capitalize on the rebound after his initial effort was saved by goalkeeper Rados?aw Majecki.
Having joined Lille from FC Copenhagen in July 2023, Haraldsson has now scored four goals in the league this season.
Just before halftime, Takumi Minamino kept Monaco in the game by scoring a goal. A cross from Krépin Diatta was headed by Maghnes Akliouche into the path of Mika Biereth, who set up Minamino with a clever back-heel, allowing the Japanese midfielder to convert from close range.
Monaco, after being eliminated from the Champions League earlier this week in a playoff against Benfica, has now gone without a win in their last six matches played away in the league.
Later in the day, second-placed Marseille is scheduled to play away against Auxerre, while league leaders PSG will take on Lyon on Sunday.
