Falcao focused on rediscovering his form

Falcao appeared in his first competitive match since suffering anterior cruciate ligament damage in a Coupe de France tie in January as 10-man Monaco lost 2-1 to Lorient.

The Colombia international, who missed the World Cup, marked his return with a goal, coming off the bench on the hour-mark and converting a penalty 12 minutes from time.

Falcao has been linked with a move away from Stade Louis II for most of the year but the 28-year-old is solely focused on getting back to his best, which saw him score nine league goals in 17 appearances before injuring his knee.

"I am better, it is improving. I felt good on the ground," Falcao said post-game.

"I'm focused on this season, to become popular. I want to recover well and help the team achieve.

"I only think back to my best and nothing else."

While it was a successful night for Falcao on a personal level, the same could not be said about Monaco, who opened their 2014-15 league campaign with defeat.

Falcao had cancelled out Vincent Aboubakar's ninth-minute penalty, only for Lorient to steal all three points with a breakaway goal from Valentin Lavigne.

"This result makes us very sad," said Falcao.

"Lorient has worked well, is well positioned and made the difference in attack.

"It was a very strange game, especially after our equaliser."