PARIS ( Associated Press) — A quick hat-trick from Wissam Ben Yedder helped Monaco rally 2-0 as they beat Brest 4-2 for their ninth consecutive French league win on Saturday and second-place Marseille and automatic Reached the Champions League spot.
Brest went 2-0 up in the middle of the first half, but Ben Yedder scored a penalty just before the interval. France then netted a fine singles goal in the 51st minute and a sharp header in the 55th minute. He has nine goals in the last nine games, and his strike partner Kevin Woland made it 4-2 after saving a volley from Ben Yedder in the 70th.
With one round left, Monaco and Marseille are level on points. Monaco has a better goal difference than Marseille, who were beaten well 2–0 over Rennes. This brought Rennes to fourth place and automatic entry into the Europa League.
Ben Yedder’s prolific season saw him reach 24 league goals, one less than top scorer Kylian Mbappe, who scored a penalty in the second half as French champions Paris Saint-Germain scored a 4–0 win at Montpellier.
In the first half, Lionel Messi took the first two and Argentine teammate Angel Di Maria took the third place.
Europe’s pursuit
Nice was once one of the Champions League contenders, but its recent form has eroded and coach Christophe Gaultier’s side finished sixth after a 3–1 loss at home to last season’s champions Lille.
exile fight
Six-time champions Bordeaux were almost relegated after a 0–0 draw to Lorient. Last-placed Bordeaux were three points away from 18th-placed Metz and a promotion-relegation playoff spot, with a very poor goal margin.
The Bordeaux ultras tried to corner the team’s coach when the players arrived, but it took a different route and riot police used tear gas to chase away angry Bordeaux fans.
The game was halted briefly during the first half when home fans threw toilet paper on the field. A banner was hoisted which read, “89 goals accepted, you are (outrageous).”
Metz was down for long but made the jump from Saint-Etienne to beat Angers 1-0 on 18th, who lost 2-1 at home to Reims, and are 19th. Metz and Saint-Etienne are level on points, with Metz leading on goal difference.
In other matches, striker Moussa Dembele scored his 20th league goal as Lyon beat French Cup winners Nantes 3–2 at home.
Fifth-placed Strasbourg beat Clermont 1–0, and seventh-placed Lens beat hosts Troyes 3–1.
Corsican side Ajaccio was promoted from the second division while Auxerre would participate in a relegation-playoff match.
,
More Associated Press Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
,
