NICE, France – Nice hammered Girondins de Bordeaux 4-0 to continue their fine start to the French Ligue 1 season a week after crowd trouble marred their previous outing.
In a game played behind closed doors pending investigations into the incidents that caused their home match against Olympique de Marseille to be abandoned last Sunday, Nice prevailed through an early Justin Kluivert goal, a double by Amine Gouiri and Khephren Thuram’s late strike.
The result lifted them to second on seven points from three completed matches, two behind Paris St Germain.
Dutch winger Kluivert opened the scoring after seven minutes when he volleyed home from Hicham Boudaoui’s cross to give Christophe Galtier’s side a perfect start.
He also assisted in the second goal, playing Gouiri through for the striker to finish the job with a left-footed effort on 33 minutes.
Kluivert then limped off the pitch but Galtier said he was taken out only as a precaution after feeling pain in his groin.
Gouiri made it 3-0 three minutes before the interval as he converted a penalty after being brought down by centre back Laurent Koscielny, Reuters reported.
Thuram, the former French international Lilian’s second son and brother of France striker Marcus, added another with five minutes left from inside the area shortly after coming on as a substitute.
Bordeaux, who have yet to win a game this season, are 17th with two points from four outings.
Marseille are fifth after Cengiz Under found the net for the third time this season in a 3-1 home victory against St Etienne.
Turkey striker Under, who joined from AS Roma in the close season, added to Matteo Guendouzi and Gerson’s goals with a fine curled strike to put the hosts on seven points from three games.
Elsewhere, Olympique Lyonnais claimed their first win of the Ligue 1 season when Moussa Dembele’s first-half goal helped them to secure a 1-0 win at Nantes.
Dembele found the back of the net after some nice work in the area by Lucas Paqueta as Peter Bosz’s team moved up to sixth with five points after four games.
They finished with 10 men after Damien Da Silva was sent off 12 minutes from time but showed some defensive steel to grab all three points.
Nantes, who had chances before halftime, are 10th on four points.
Lyon went ahead on 35 minutes after Paqueta’s strike was parried by keeper Alban Lafont into the way of Dembele, who poked the ball home to give the visitors a deserved advantage.
Jean-Charles Castelletto came close to equalising two minutes later but Anthony Lopes pulled a brilliant save to maintain Lyon’s lead.
The Portuguese keeper was at it again just before halftime when he tipped Sebastien Corchia’s free kick over the bar.
Lyon controlled the second half although they had a scare in the closing stages after Da Silva picked up a second yellow card for elbowing Ludovic Blas.
Leaders Paris St Germain travel to Reims on Sunday with new signing Lionel Messi expected to make his Ligue 1 debut.
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