Burak Yilmaz again starred as Lille stayed on course to win the Ligue 1 title by beating 10-man Nice 2-0 on Saturday, a result that keeps the northern side a point clear of defending champions Paris Saint-Germain at the top of the table with three games left.
Yilmaz and fellow Turkish international Zeki Celik scored the goals for Lille against a Nice team who played most of the second half a man short after defender Jordan Lotomba was sent off.
Veteran striker Yilmaz, 35, had been the inspiration with a brace as Lille came from 2-0 down to win 3-2 at Lyon last weekend and he was also the catalyst here as Christophe Galtier’s side responded perfectly after PSG had beaten Lens 2-1 earlier to move provisionally to the summit.
Yilmaz scored with a pinpoint low strike into the far corner from 20 metres following a Jonathan David lay-off on 13 minutes, and he also struck the post in the second half.
After Lotomba was shown a second yellow card for a foul on Jonathan Bamba at the start of the second half, Celik volleyed in Lille’s second goal in the 56th minute as he latched onto a clearance and volleyed in from just outside the box.
If Lille win their final three games against Lens, Saint-Etienne and Angers, they will be champions for the first time since 2011.
“Three points, a clean sheet, it’s good,” captain Jose Fonte told broadcaster Canal+.
“It was important to win at home because we hadn’t won here for a while, and the battles goes on. We have three difficult games left and we just need to keep fighting.”
PSG are lying in wait for a slip up, while third-placed Monaco — the best team in Ligue 1 in 2021 — will move back to within two points of top spot if they can beat Lyon on Sunday.
Neymar scored one goal and set up the other for Marquinhos as PSG edged Lens at home to claim a vital three points in between the two legs of their Champions League semi-final against Manchester City.
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