PARIS -- After two seasons of misery in Englands Premier League, striker Radamel Falcao is proving his worth again in France.His first-half goal helped league leader Monaco on its way to a 3-0 home win against Rennes on Saturday.Falcao pounced with a firm downward header from midfielder Adama Traores cross in the 42nd minute. He ran out of steam and was replaced with about 15 minutes left by Guido Carrillo, but he had done his bit by then.Midfielder Thomas Lemar hit two late goals, the first set up by Carillo and the second a fine strike from 25 meters out.Monaco, which has won seven straight games domestically and in Europe, is three points ahead of defending champion Paris Saint-Germain, which won 6-0 at Caen on Friday with striker Edinson Cavani scoring four.Monaco coach Leonardo Jardim says PSG remains the favorite, but is confident Monaco will make things difficult at the top.The favorite for the title, which is a competition over a long period of time, is Paris, Jardim said. Weve made a good start to the season, our team is more balanced. We have more options and this will even things in the league.FALCAO BOUNCING BACKFalcao joined Monaco in May 2013 after two prolific seasons with Atletico Madrid in a deal worth a staggering 60 million euros ($67 million). But a serious knee injury in a French Cup game at the start of 2014 cost him both pace and a place at the World Cup later that year.He struggled for form and fitness in England, scoring once in 12 appearances with Chelsea and only four in 29 with Manchester United during spells on loan.With two seasons left on his Monaco contract, he returned to the Principality side this season but with a major question mark as to whether he could be a success in France.But Falcao made a strong start this season, scoring in both legs of a Champions League qualifier against Turkish side Fenerbahce, before limping off with a thigh injury in the return leg on Aug. 3.He missed five games.After coming on as a substitute against Lille last weekend, Falcao underlined his new-found commitment to the club by wearing the captains armband as Monaco won 2-1 at Tottenham in a Champions League group game on Wednesday.OTHER ACTIONPromoted Metz continued its encouraging start to the season and is in provisional third place after a 0-0 draw at Dijon.Martin Braithwaites fourth goal in four games helped Toulouse beat Guingamp 2-1 and move up to sixth place, one spot behind Bordeaux after it slipped to a surprise 1-0 defeat at home to Angers.Mariusz Stepinski grabbed his first goal since joining Nantes this summer in a 1-1 draw at promoted Nancy, and Lorient beat Lille 1-0 but the Brittany-based club remained last.On Sunday, all eyes will be on Mario Balotelli when Nice travels to play Montpellier. The controversial striker scored twice on his league debut in a 3-2 win against Marseille last weekend, surprising most observers with his sharpness.Also, Saint-Etienne hosts Bastia, and Marseille takes on Lyon, with no away fans permitted to travel after extremely violent confrontations between rival fans at a highway service station last season. Los Angeles Lakers Jerseys . Aside from the trilogy main event title fight, there are a number of intriguing matchups in the heavyweight, welterweight and lightweight divisions. Tyson Chandler Lakers Jersey . -- Tony Stewart is 20 pounds lighter and has a titanium rod in his surgically repaired right leg. http://www.lakersbasketballshop.com/James-Worthy-Jersey/ . Zvonareva, who won the tournament in 2009 and 10, couldnt handle her opponents big groundstrokes in only her third event back after 17 months out with a shoulder injury. 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Considering that his team has been without star guard Russell Westbrook and with the free agent departure of sharpshooter Kevin Martin, hes had to carry the majority of the load to not only keep his team afloat but more importantly, at an elite level.Jason Day was relieved to bounce back from a slow start to claim a narrow win at the Arnold Palmer Invitational and close the gap on Jordan Spieth at the top of the world rankings. The PGA champion survived a rollercoaster final round to complete a wire-to-wire victory at Bay Hill, with a two-under 70 helping him to finish one-stroke clear of nearest challenger Kevin Chappell.Day let a three-shot lead over the front nine during a day where four players held at least a share of the lead, but posted two birdies after the turn and holed a four-foot putt for victory at the last. Victory lifts Day above McIlroy in to second spot in the world rankings and means he could move to world No 1 at next weeks WGC-Dell Match Play, but the Australian admits he had to dig deep to see out a first win of 2016. Day was greeted by tournament host Arnold Palmer after his final round Sleeping on a two-shot lead and winning wire-to-wire wasnt easy, Day told Sky Sports. This was a really rewarding win for me and to be able to make the par at the last when I needed to was very satisfying. There was not one shot on the golf course I hit today where I felt comfortable.I tried to be as deliberate as possible and it worked out on the back side for me. I was really nervous over that putt [on 18] after being out of contention for a while. Day posted two birdies in a blemish-free back nine I was all out of sorts on the front side but I kept saying to myself over and over again you are not out of it, be patient, you will find some opening and once you do make sure you take it, and 17 was it.The biggest thing for me was to be able to feel being in contention again and to be able to get all of those competitive juices flowing again through my body and understand what that feels like.ddddddddddddEncouraging signsAdam Scott missed out on the chance of becoming the first player since Rory McIlroy to win three consecutive PGA Tour events, with the Australian finishing another positive week in a tie for 12th. Scott had won the Honda Classic and the WGC-Cadillac Championship in his past two starts The world No 6 slipped out of contention with a final-hole triple-bogey on Saturday and made a similar mess of the 18th during his final round, ending a three-under 69 with a double-bogey.Its a little disappointing, Scott told Sky Sports. I really played better than my score showed this week and thats a positive sign.I felt I could have been up there, even though things werent quite firing in all cylinders like they were in the past couple of weeks. Scott had won the Honda Classic and the WGC-Cadillac Championship in his past two starts I really wasted a lot on 18! Yesterday was really difficult conditions and I was a bit unfortunate to plug in a bunker, but todays was just a poor shot.Ive been putting really well. Today was a bit spotty where I hit some good putts but a few that came up surprisingly short coming in. All in all Ive made a lot of putts and thats a really good thing for the confidence.The confidence then builds with the results and now its all in a good spot, so Ive just got to maintain it the best I can and keep going.The PGA Tour heads to Texas next for the WGC-Dell Match Play. Watch live coverage of all five days on Sky Sports 4 - your home of golf Also See: Day claims Bay Hill title1 Improvement needed from Rory WATCH: Rory signs off in style! Golf live on Sky Sports 4 ' ' '
