Despite falling behind in the first half, goals from Mika Biereth and Breel Embolo ensured AS Monaco secured a vital victory in the Derby vs. OGC Nice under the eyes of President Dmitry Rybolovlev.
For this 108th meeting between the two rivals from the Côte d’Azur, a great initiative marked the occasion. As part of the Week of Education against Racism and Anti-Semitism, players of both teams wore jerseys with a clear message: “No to racism”.
30 minutes prior to kick-off, Thiago Scuro, General Manager of the Principality Club, presented a special jersey to the representatives of LICRA Monaco. A few days earlier, a photo shoot brought together Thilo Kehrer, Monaco’s vice-captain, and Dante, Nice’s captain, in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, facing the sea. A brilliant way to remind us that fundamental values go beyond sporting rivalries.
The Match
Picking a strong line-up for this massive match, Adi Hutter’s team for this one consisted of a nice blend of physicality, athleticism and technical qualities, as he was certainly vindicated with his shrewd selections.
Starting the match on the right foot, Les Monegasques quickly won a penalty inside five minutes. But Biereth disappointingly had his spot-kick saved by Marcin Bulka.
Takumi Minamino then rattled the woodwork shortly after with a sublime strike, as ASM made a very bright opening to proceedings.
Les Aiglons gradually grew into the game, though, for the likes of Pablo Rosario, Jeremie Boga and Ali Abdi registered decent attempts before making ASM pay for not converting their chances when Boga powered the away side into the lead just prior to the interval.
Eager to get back into the contest, Monaco made a positive beginning to the second stanza. And they finally rewarded themselves when Biereth blasted the ball home to level the ledger following some excellent work by Maghnes Akliouche.
Further opportunities arrived for both outfits, as Akliouche, Denis Zakaria and Evann Guessand all tried their luck without scoring.
Monaco’s offensive maestro in Akliouche rose to the fore again, with him conjuring up some more magic to set up Embolo to finish with aplomb in the 73rd minute. The supporters and the Club President erupted in joy to celebrate Embolo’s 5th goal of the season, which gave the advantage in one of the most important matches of the season.
This goal ultimately proved to be the winner, despite the returning Folarin Balogun missing a presentable 1v1, on a night where ASM’s victory propelled them into second in the Ligue 1 standings.
Key Stats
By the numbers, the fact ASM held the ascendancy in terms of expected goals (2.45 to 0.51), total shots (17 to 9), shots on target (6 to 4), shots inside the box (14 to 5), big chances created (5 to 0), passes in the opposition half (204 to 89) and touches in the opposition box (42 to 14) illustrated they were deserved victors.
Up Next
Monaco will now be doing all they can to carry the momentum gained from this memorable triumph into their upcoming road clash with Brest next weekend, as they look to consolidate their second spot on the table.
Share this content:
