Incredible Šulc! Czech midfielder scores twice as Lyon beats Monaco in Ligue 1

By Canadian Press on January 3, 2026.

PARIS (AP) — Midfielder Pavel Šulc kept his scoring run going with two goals as fifth-placed Lyon won at struggling Monaco 3-1 in Ligue 1 on Saturday.

Šulc is one of the best signings this season in French soccer and took his tally to 11 goals in 23 games since joining from unheralded Czech club Jablonec in the offseason.

He netted from close range in the first half and arrowed in a fine strike from the edge of the penalty area in the 57th minute to put Lyon back ahead, after Mamadou Coulibaly equalized in first-half stoppage time.

Brazilian defender Abner Vinicius made it 3-1 late on as mid-table Monaco lost for the sixth time in seven league games.

Monaco goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky went off injured early on after taking a blow to the knee following a challenge with Šulc and was replaced by Philipp Köhn.

Lyon’s opening goal came in the 35th minute when Corentin Tolisso’s corner from the left was headed on by Nicolas Tagliafico and Šulc kneed the ball in from one meter out.

Monaco equalized when Lyon’s defense failed to deal with a long pass toward forward Folarin Balogun and Coulibaly profited. Coulibaly was shown a straight red card in the 70th for a dangerous high tackle on Tagliafico’s chest.

Later Saturday, Nice hosted Strasbourg under new coach Claude Puel. He recently replaced Franck Haise amid high tensions at Nice, which recently ended a nine-game losing run.

In Saturday’s other game, Lille faced Rennes.

Lens riding high

Lens won at Toulouse 3-0 on Friday to ensure keeping top spot from Paris Saint-Germain.

On Sunday, second-placed PSG hosts lowly Paris FC in the first capital city derby in the French men’s league since 1990.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Jerome Pugmire, The Associated Press