Ligue 1: Nantes end five-match winless streak after beating 10-man Toulouse; Monaco-PSG postponed due to bad weather

Paris: Abdoulaye Toure and Ludovic Blas scored as Nantes beat 10-man Toulouse 2-1 Sunday to end a five-match winless run in the French league. With its first win since 5 October, Nantes came within a point of the league’s top three. [caption id=“attachment_7725541” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Nantes celebrate their win against Toulouse. Twitter: Image courtesy: @Ligue1_ENG[/caption] Last-place Toulouse had its fifth consecutive loss. During a scrappy first half of few chances, a turning point came in the 24th minute when midfielder Kouadio Kone was sent off for a second yellow card. Nantes tried to take advantage of the space left by Toulouse’s defense but missed three consecutive chances near the half-hour mark before referee Florent Batta awarded the hosts a penalty following a handball in the box. Toure converted from the spot before Blas, who was influential throughout, sealed Nantes’ win with a powerful strike under the bar for his second goal this season. Aaron Leya Iseka pulled one back deep in stoppage time. Monaco vs PSG Postponed The showcase match between Monaco and leader Paris Saint-Germain was postponed to a later date because of the bad weather hitting south-east France. Monaco was set to host PSG at the Stade Louis II on Sunday night but the adverse conditions led local authorities to cancel the game as a precautionary measure after surrounding areas were put on alert for rain and flooding. The French football league confirmed the cancellation in a statement and said its competition committee will set a new date for the game. With one match in hand, PSG has a five-point lead over second-place Marseille. Monaco lags 15 points behind PSG. Da Silva Winner Defender Damien Da Silva planted a powerful header in the back of the net from a corner deep in stoppage time to secure a 2-1 win for Rennes over Saint-Etienne. After breaking the deadlock in the 20th minute through Lois Diony’s first league goal in almost a year, Saint-Etienne could not hold onto its lead for long as Brazilian striker Raphinha leveled five minutes later. The visitors were on the back foot throughout the second half and slumped to their first defeat in more than two months.