Park Chu-young Nets Twice in 3-2 Win
By Kang Seung-woo
Staff Reporter
AS Monaco striker Park Chu-young scored twice in a 3-2 win over local rival OGC Nice Sunday (KST).
The 24-year-old broke open the game with a header in the first half and provided a go-ahead goal in the second half in front of the home crowd.
The South Korean, who was also on target against Olympique Lyonnais in the Coupe de France Monday, has notched nine goals in the 2009-10 season with eight coming in the regular season campaign.
Winning four straight games in the regular season, including a seven-game unbeaten streak (five wins and two draws), Guy Lacombe's side has climbed up to fourth place on 39 points with a record of 12-3-7.
Park, who has played the full 90 minutes in seven straight regular-season matches, put Monaco ahead in the 19th minute from a set-piece.
Brazilian midfielder Nene lofted a corner from the left and Park headed it into the opposite side of the net past Nice goalkeeper David Ospina.
Nine minutes into the second half, Chaouki Ben Saada pulled the match even, but Park restored Monaco's lead six minutes later.
Nene hit a low cross-shot from the left of the penalty area and Park threw himself at it, literally traveling into the net with the ball, to make it 2-1.
Two minutes later, Nene, the league's leading scorer, had the option of passing to an unmarked Park in the box, which might have seen Park score a hat-trick, but instead he took the shot himself for his 14th of the season.
The visitors moved within one with 10 minutes left to play on a Didier Digard goal, but they failed to come up with an equalizer.