Mario Balotelli haunts former club Nice with Marseille match-winner

Mario Balotelli scored the winner against his old club as Marseille beat Nice 1-0 at the Stade Velodrome.

Balotelli headed past Walter Benitez in the 61st minute to make it five goals in seven Ligue 1 games for the Italy striker since leaving Nice and joining Marseille in January on a deal until the end of the season.

Rudi Garcia’s team, who have won five times in a six-match unbeaten run, are now three points behind third-placed Lyon. Patrick Vieira’s Nice are ninth.

The first chance of the contest fell to Marseille’s Valere Germain, who was unable to direct his header on target from a Florian Thauvin free-kick in the sixth minute.

Thauvin then had a weak shot gathered by Benitez before the visitors had their first effort of note as Allan Saint-Maximin’s drive was parried by Steve Mandanda.

Saint-Maximin fired into the side-netting early in the second half before Balotelli – who ahead of the game had expressed his desire to stay with Marseille beyond the summer – broke the deadlock as he got his head to a Lucas Ocampos cross.