The Japan Times - Lille warm up for Liverpool clash by going third in Ligue 1, Monaco lose

Hakon Haraldsson and Bafode Diakite scored the goals in the second half for Lille, who followed up a win on penalties at Marseille in the French Cup on Tuesday and extended their club-record unbeaten run in all competitions to 21 games.

Lille are now four points behind second-placed Marseille, who host Strasbourg on Sunday, while also sitting a point above Monaco after the principality team blew a lead to lose 2-1 at Montpellier.

Nice had gone ahead in northern France when Sofiane Diop pounced to convert a loose ball just before the half-hour mark.

A win would have seen Nice go third instead, and Tanguy Ndombele hit the woodwork for the visitors just before the interval.

Having survived that, Lille drew level only three minutes into the second half when Jonathan David provided the chance for Icelandic international Haraldsson to score.

Defender Diakite then found the net at a corner to put Lille ahead just past the hour mark, and Bruno Genesio's side held on for the victory.

They currently lie eighth in the Champions League standings and are hoping to clinch a spot in the knockout phase when they visit Anfield, having already beaten Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid in Europe this season.

- Montpellier boost survival bid -

Monaco's slump continued ahead of their return to Champions League action as Jordan's Mousa Al-Tamari notched a second-half brace to give Montpellier victory at the Stade de la Mosson.

It was just Montpellier's third win this season and it breathes life into a survival bid which looked hopeless before this match.

Captain Thilo Kehrer had headed Monaco in front just after the half-hour mark, but the downward trend in their results is worrying as they prepare to host Aston Villa next Tuesday.

They have failed to win any of their last four Ligue 1 matches and were eliminated from the French Cup on penalties by Reims on Tuesday. Adi Huetter's side have won just twice in 11 outings in all competitions.

They are currently 16th in the Champions League standings but have lost their last two games in Europe and another loss against Villa at the Stade Louis II would leave them at risk of failing to make the knockout phase.

They had threatened to run away with the game early on and deservedly went in front when Kehrer nodded in a corner at the near post.

Yet bizarrely the game changed completely after a hold-up of several minutes at the start of the second half caused by Montpellier fans playing loud dance music out of speakers behind the goal at one end of the stadium.

Tamari was gifted an equaliser on 55 minutes when he pounced on Kassoum Ouattara's short back-pass to round the goalkeeper and score his first goal this season.

He then got the winner for Montpellier eight minutes from time, beating Radoslaw Majecki low at the goalkeeper's near post after being set up by Arnaud Nordin.

Montpellier move level on points with Le Havre at the bottom, and are now within four points of safety before the weekend's other games.

S.Ogawa--JT