Rodriguez scores twice as Monaco topples Nantes

Fontvieille, Monaco (SportsNetwork.com) - A goal in each half from James Rodriguez led the way as Monaco kept alive its slim title hopes with a 3-1 win over Nantes on Sunday.

The result keeps Monaco within 13 points of leaders PSG with six games remaining, while Nantes is still eight points clear of the relegation places.

Monaco started the match on the attack and generated most of the scoring chances over the course of 90 minutes, with Rodriguez netting the first goal in the 18th.

Dimitar Berbatov picked out Rodriguez with a cross, and he brought the ball down and worked his way around a defender before beating goalkeeper Maxime Dupe from 20 yards.

Rodriguez skimmed the outside of the post after halftime for Monaco, but the hosts found a second goal in the 72nd minute from a corner kick as Andrea Raggi headed home Joao Moutinho's cross.

Four minutes later, Fabinho went down inside the penalty area under a challenge from Nantes defender Olivier Veigneau, allowing Rodriguez to score from the spot to make it 3-0.

Alejandro Bedoya's goal in the 78th for Nantes spoiled Monaco's clean sheet, but it offered little consolation to the visitors.

Also on Sunday, Lyon downed Valenciennes, 2-1, with Jordan Ferri scoring the winning goal in the 69th minute, while Abdul Waris failed to convert a penalty kick in the 87th for Valenciennes that would have leveled the match.

St Etienne fell five points back of third-place Lille for the final Champions League place as the team needed a stoppage-time penalty kick from Max-Alain Gradel to salvage a 1-1 draw with Nice.