AS Monaco boosted their push for a UEFA Champions League spot with a crucial 2-1 victory over fellow contenders Olympique de Marseille, stretching their impressive Ligue 1 winning run to seven games.

Although Usain Bolt made a surprise appearance on the pitch before kick-off, the match itself began slowly. Maghnes Akliouche came closest to breaking the deadlock early on with an acrobatic attempt.

Lukas Hradecky was then called into action, spreading himself well to deny Hamed Traorè from a narrow angle. At the other end, Gerónimo Rulli reacted quickly to rush off his line and stop Akliouche from converting Thilo Kehrer’s long pass.

Hradecky continued to impress, producing another key save to keep out Igor Paixao in a one-on-one situation, ensuring the sides went into the break level. The interval allowed Monaco to regroup, and they returned for the second half looking much sharper.

Monaco began to turn up the pressure on the Marseille goal and were rewarded just before the hour mark. Jordan Teze floated a cross into the box, where Aleksandr Golovin rose to meet it and guided a superb volley into the top corner.

Marseille pushed for a response, led by captain Pierre-Emile Højbjerg, whose powerful effort forced a strong save from Hradecky.

Monaco looked to defend their advantage on the counter and once again relied on their goalkeeper, who produced another stop to deny Quinten Timber from distance. Their approach soon paid off with a moment of quality.

A misjudged clearance from Benjamin Pavard fell kindly for Folarin Balogun, who showed great composure to lift the ball over Rulli from a tight angle and into the far corner, becoming the first Monaco player since 2019 to score in six consecutive league matches.

The visitors pulled one back with five minutes remaining, as Amine Gouiri battled through defenders in the box before drilling a shot beneath Hradecky. However, it proved too little, too late to stop Marseille from suffering consecutive league defeats for the first time this season.

In contrast, Monaco’s seventh straight victory sees them draw level with their opponents on 49 points, sitting just one point behind Lille in the third and final automatic UEFA Champions League qualification spot.