Berbatov genius lightens up Monaco sky as Puel brothers make history

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  • Reasons to celebrate: Monaco players embrace Berbatov after his stunning goal.

    Dimitar Berbatov scored one of the goals of the season as AS Monaco beat their rivals OGC Nice to ensure their second spot in French Ligue 1 and qualification for next season's Champions League. 

    The side had kept up to pace with leaders PSG for most of the season before declining in recent months as a lack of depth betrayed Claudio Ranieri's ambition to topple the Parisians one season after climbing back to the top flight from French Ligue 2.

    Falcao's knee injury at the end of 2013 called a day to ASM's ambitions, though his replacement Dimitar Berbatov had a convincing six months since being brought from Fulham in January.

    On Sunday, he scored one of the most brilliant goals of the season with a delightful lob using the outside of his right foot in a very tight angle in the 5th minute of the French Rivieras derby against OGC Nice. Few players would have attempted this shot, even less would have converted it.

    It proved enough for ASM to register a 1-0 home win that sees them ready to prepare next season's Champions League.

    An overhaul is on the cards as head coach Claudio Ranieri is said to be on his way out, with Zinedine Zidane as a potential successor.

    Though the prospect of France's greatest ever player taking over is fairly unlikely, it testifies to how far ASM will need to dig if the side wants to be competitive on the domestic and European scene as of next season.

    On Sunday, the side was stretched and suffered in spades against OGC Nice in the 85th derby of the French Riviera – between two cities separated by just 15km along the coveted Côte d'Azur – the country's most exclusive area.

    With a budget of €35 million, the OGC Nice side could barely have paid half of what it took AS Monaco to bring in James Rodriguez and Joao Moutinho last summer.

    Despite the financial gulf separating the two sides, ASM could not convert its chances in the first half when homegrown Valère Germain (who was celebrating his 24th birthday) hit the post shortly after Berbatov's opener.

    Quality faded among the ASM ranks during the second half when a brave OGC Nice side fought all the way.

    Though the scoreline will shortly be forgotten, a unique moment in football history illustrated the game.

    OGC Nice coach Claude Puel, himself a one-club player with AS Monaco throughout the 1980s, made the unprecedented move of fielding his two sons. Right-back Grégoire Puel (23), already a mainstay in the side since the beginning of the season, was joined by his 16-year-old brother Paulin, playing up front in the last minutes of the game, to offer a truly special sight to the 2800 OGC Nice fans who made the short trip along the French Riviera.

    This was the first time a head coach had his two sons playing simultaneously in an official game.

    Though Paulin failed to impress during the short time spent on the pitch, his reputation as an unstoppable goalscorer in the U17 side might let him get more appearances in the first team next season – provided his father survives summer at the helm of the side.

    Elsewhere in Ligue 1…

    – PSG won their first trophy of the season on Saturday, beating Olympique Lyonnais 2-1 to secure the French League Cup thanks to a Cavani brace.

    The game will perhaps be best remembered for the strangest of introductions when the trophy was brought on the pitch by security forces going down from a helicopter.

    – Third-ranked Lille registered their sixth goalless draw of the season against Olympique de Marseille, proving once more the side’s solidity but also the lack of entertainment for the neurtal fans.

    – There is only one Corsican side left in the French league as AS Ajaccio was officially relegated this weekend.

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