Football
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Leonardo Jardim hails Monaco's rally to defeat Toulouse

Monaco boss Leonardo Jardim hailed the efforts of his men after the Ligue 1 leaders came from behind to defeat Toulouse 3-1 and go three points clear of second-placed Paris Saint-Germain.

Jardim's side were left frustrated in the first half at the Stade Louis II as they failed to make a breakthrough despite bossing possession.

And they then fell behind in the opening minute of the second half as Ola Toivonen took advantage of a Jemerson error.

But Kamil Glik headed Monaco level three minutes later, and that was then added to by finishes from Kylian Mbappe in the 64th minute and Thomas Lemar in the 75th.

The win takes Monaco three points clear of PSG with both sides having four games left, the capital club's first coming on Sunday when they visit third-placed Nice.

Jardim, quoted by Monaco's official Twitter feed, said as he reflected on the victory over mid-table Toulouse: "We had a big game in both the first and second half.

"In the first, Toulouse were too solid. In the second they dropped a bit, but not us. It was a big match today."

Jardim picked out 18-year-old sensation Mbappe, whose low strike was his 14th league goal of the season, as well as the man who provided the assist for Glik's equaliser, Joao Moutinho, for individual praise.

"Kylian is in a good moment," Jardim said of the teenage forward. "He played less at the beginning of the season, so he is not as tired as the others.

"Joao Moutinho had a big game. We need that for the last month [of the season]."

Jardim, whose side host Juventus in the first leg of their Champions League semifinal on Wednesday, also revealed midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko had missed the Toulouse game with a broken nose sustained on Friday.

Monaco said on their official website that Bakayoko would "resume training with protection from Sunday."

Toulouse boss Pascal Dupraz, quoted by his club's official website, said: "After we opened the scoring I believed, but it was necessary to resist a little more and not concede a goal immediately.

"It is inexcusable, but these are the faults of my young team. It is a learning curve, and we must also recognise the superiority of this Monaco team.

"You are not future champions of France and qualified for the semi-finals of the Champions League without being a great team with quality players."

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