Nice Tops French League with Late Win over Clermont

Nice temporarily topped the Ligue 1 standings thanks to a second-half goal by Hicham Boudaoui, securing a 1-0 victory against the struggling Clermont on Friday. Nice's points tally increased to 22, putting them two points ahead of Monaco, who will face Lille on Sunday. Clermont sits in second-to-last place with five points. Boudaoui scored the only goal of the match in the 74th minute after running unmarked inside the penalty area to find the net. Nice had a chance to open the scoring before halftime when Elidu Sidou fouled Boudaoui inside the area, but Gaetan Laborde's penalty kick went wide of the goal. Under coach Francesco Farioli, Nice has had an exceptional start to the season, maintaining an unbeaten record and keeping clean sheets seven times, the best in Europe's top five leagues.