MONACO (AP) - Radamel Falcao scored twice as Monaco cruised to a 3-0 win over CSKA Moscow to take a big step toward qualifying for the Champions League knockout stages.
In his first European game for seven weeks following a lengthy break for concussion, Monaco’s captain caused havoc in the CSKA defense as the Russian champion remained winless from four games.
Valere Germain took advantage of some hapless goalkeeping from Igor Akinfeev to score the 13th-minute opener. The Russian keeper went low to try and stop Germain after he broke through the defense, but the forward knocked the ball first into, then over him and tapped it into the net.
Falcao scored Monaco’s second from a Benjamin Mendy cross in the 29th and then displayed neat footwork to make it 3-0 in the 41st. The Colombia striker played a one-two with Germain before turning CSKA’s Pontus Wernbloom and knocking the ball past Akinfeev, who has not kept a clean sheet in 41 straight Champions League appearances.
Falcao could have completed a hat trick in the second half, but shot wide twice from good positions. Guido Carrillo came on as a substitute for Falcao and hit the post late on.
Monaco is now top of Group E with eight points, two more than Bayer Leverkusen after the German side beat Tottenham 1-0 at Wembley. Tottenham has four points.
With its already small squad depleted by injuries, CSKA was badly outclassed in midfield and failed to reproduce the battling display from its 1-1 draw with Monaco in Moscow two weeks before.
Forward Carlos Strandberg could have scored for CSKA mid-way through the first half but was denied when Monaco keeper Danijel Subasic made a good reaction save with his right foot.
CSKA is bottom of the group with two points after a result that will do nothing to quieten the speculation in Russia over coach Leonid Slutsky’s future.
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