Watch: Balotelli scores stunner, gets sent off minutes later

There's no stopping Mario Balotelli now - except, maybe, for the referee.

Following two years lost in the wilderness, the embattled Italian striker has proven doubters wrong with six goals in five outings for new club OGC Nice.

He owns the best scoring ratio among all strikers in the top five European leagues - good for one goal every 51 minutes, according to stats guru Opta.

His latest effort is probably his best of the season. Balotelli froze two FC Lorient defenders before firing a fierce shot into the top corner.

The strike decided an otherwise non-descript match, as Nice came back to win 2-1 Sunday.

But Balotelli's night ended on a sour note. Minutes after earning a yellow for taking off his shirt in celebration, he was booked again in stoppage time. It was an extremely harsh sequence on the 26-year-old, who appeared to do nothing to warrant a second card.

Lucien Favre's side remains in first place in Ligue 1 with 20 points.