Khlifa hat-trick leaves Montpellier floored

PARIS (AFP) –

Evian’s forward Saber Khlifa (C) is congratuled by teammates after scoring a goal during their French L1 football match against Montpellier at the Mosson stadium in Montpellier, southern France. Khelifa sealed a superb hat-trick with an 89th-minute goal to give Evian a 3-2 victory at Montpellier that left the misfiring French champions in 13th place in Ligue 1.

Tunisian striker Saber Khlifa sealed a superb hat-trick with an 89th-minute winner to give Evian a 3-2 victory at Montpellier on Saturday that left the misfiring French champions in 13th place in Ligue 1.

Khlifa put Evian ahead after 30 minutes but Montpellier equalised soon after from a Marco Estrada free-kick and went ahead in the 42nd minute when Souleymane Camara headed home from what appeared to be an offside position.

However, Khlifa struck again in the 62nd minute to draw his side level, bending a fine shot inside the right-hand post from 25 yards.

Montpellier substitute Gaetan Charbonnier hit the crossbar in the 87th minute and moments later Khlifa claimed the winner, confidently out-pacing Daniel Congre and then lifting the ball over Geoffrey Jourdren to complete his first Ligue 1 treble.

The result moved Evian out of the bottom three and up to 14th place, while Montpellier remain 10 points behind leaders Marseille and have already lost four times.

“We relaxed, and in football, you can’t relax,” Montpellier midfielder Benjamin Stambouli, who played at left-back, told Canal+.

“If we want the points, we have to be warriors and show more commitment. We’ve found it hard to handle after the title.”

Lille, the team succeeded as champions by Montpellier, have had an even more dismal start to the season and find themselves in 16th place ahead of Ajaccio’s visit later on Saturday.

The headline fixture of the weekend takes place on Sunday night, when second-place Paris Saint-Germain take on Marseille at Stade Velodrome.

PSG‘s unbeaten start to the season was ended by Porto in the Champions League on Wednesday, but OM crashed 4-1 at Valenciennes last weekend and will concede top spot to their arch rivals if they lose.