Falcao rescues point for struggling Monaco with 2 goals
PARIS (AP) — Radamel Falcao rescued struggling Monaco with two second-half goals in a 2-2 draw at Rennes in the French league on Wednesday.
It could prove a vital point as Monaco moved up to 16th place and four points outside the relegation zone with four games left.
Rennes won a dramatic French Cup final last Saturday, beating Paris Saint-Germain in a penalty shootout after coming back from 2-0 midway through the first half.
This time, Rennes raced into a 2-0 lead after nine minutes, slicing open Monaco's defense with ease with quick moves that were both finished off by striker Adrien Hunou.
But Monaco hit back through Falcao's diving header in the 69th and superb scissor-kick volley six minutes later. It increased the veteran Colombia striker's league tally to 14 goals in a difficult season which has seen Monaco twice change its coach.
Monaco still has a difficult end to the league campaign with fourth-place Saint-Etienne visiting on Sunday and tough trips to Nimes and local rival Nice to follow after that.
Monaco fired coach Leonardo Jardim in mid-October, replacing him with former France great Thierry Henry. In January, it then fired Henry and re-hired Jardim .
The team's form initially improved when Jardim came back only for the side to register one win in eight games since March.
Rennes, meanwhile, is in 11th place and has qualified for the Europa League thanks to its Cup win.
