PARIS — Compared to Thierry Henry by Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, teenager Kylian Mbappe is living up to the hype.
The 18-year-old forward showed his speed and skills to score his seventh goal for Monaco in all competitions this season as the French league leaders maintained their grip on top spot with a 2-1 win at Montpellier on Tuesday.
Wenger recently said he could see similarities between Mbappe and Henry, who also played for Monaco when he was young. Wenger tried to recruit Mbappe this summer but the rising star of French football –who helped France win the under-19 European championship in July, scoring five goals –decided to stay in Monaco.
Mbappe scored a Henry-like goal at the Stade de la Mosson following Kamil Glik’s opener for the visitors. After Keagan Dolly gave the ball away near the Monaco box, a series of quick passes eventually saw the ball reaching Mbappe. After escaping defenders with a fast run down the left, Mbappe collected the ball and kept his composure to beat keeper Geoffrey Jourdren with a well-taken low shot, making it 2-0 after 20 minutes.
Monaco had made a tentative start but managed to break the deadlock from a set piece. As Thomas Lemar sent a free kick into the box, Jourdren missed the ball in his attempt to punch clear and Glik headed home for his fourth goal this season.
Montpellier captain Vitorino Hilton hauled his team back into the game soon after the interval with a header at the near post from Ryad Boudebouz’s corner, making for a tense finish to the game.
Montpellier pushed for an equalizer in the last 15 minutes, missing a golden opportunity in added time when substitute Souleymane Camara sent a header off the crossbar.
Monaco finished with 10 men following Jemerson’s dismissal for a late tackle on Boudebouz with two minutes left.
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PARIS SAINT-GERMAIN 2, LILLE 1
Lucas secured three crucial points for Paris Saint-Germain with a last-minute winner in a controversial 2-1 victory over Lille.
The in-form Brazilian midfielder scored from an offside position in added time to ensure the defending champions remain within three points of Monaco, after a blunder from keeper Alphonse Areola helped Lille equalize with only four minutes left.
Facing a well-organized side, PSG monopolized possession but was often clueless with the ball until Edinson Cavani, the league’s top scorer with 23 goals, broke the deadlock with a lucky goal in the 70th minute.
PSG wingers kept peppering the box with crosses that were easily repelled and Lille keeper Vincent Enyeama made three excellent saves to deny second-half attempts from Hatem Ben Arfa, Angel Di Maria and Lucas.
But Cavani put the hosts in front after Lille forward Ricardo Kishna deflected a free kick which fell for the Uruguay striker, who mis-cued his header and sent the ball into the net with the help of his shoulder.
Everything went wrong for Areola in the 86th minute, with the keeper losing control of the ball in his box with a heavy touch. He managed to recover possession, but immediately gave the ball away under pressure from substitute Eric Bautheac. Lille forward Nicolas De Preville was then able to pounce, sending a shot between Areola’s legs.
PSG laid siege to the Lille goal for the final minutes and was rewarded when Lucas bundled home a loose ball following a scramble.
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CAEN 0, BORDEAUX 4
Forward Francois Kamano scored twice as Bordeaux showed clinical efficiency in its victory at Caen.
Bordeaux converted all four chances and moved to sixth in the standings, 19 points behind Monaco.
Diego Rolan put the visitors in front in the 11th minute after taking advantage of a blunder from Jordan Leborgne. The 21-year-old Caen midfielder completely mis-hit the ball as he tried to pass back to his goalkeeper. The Uruguayan striker intercepted the ball, ran down half the pitch and came out on top of his duel with keeper Remy Vercoutre from a tight angle.
Vercoutre was at fault 11 minutes later when Kamano made it 2-0 with a curled shot from the edge of the area. The ball bounced just in front of Vercoutre, who reacted too slowly and scuffed his clearance into the net.
Kamano doubled his tally in the 63rd minute with a neat finish after dribbling past two Caen players and Jaroslav Plasil completed the rout with a last-minute goal.
