A battling AS Monaco lose late on against Paris | OneFootball

Trailing at half-time against a very sharp PSG team, the Rouge et Blanc turned the situation around after the break, before finally losing in the last quarter of an hour at the Stade Louis-II (2-4).

A defeat with distinction. Tenacious against a Paris Saint-Germain team still undefeated in Ligue , the AS Monaco players held their own against the Parisians for a long time before falling at the end of the match. It was a fixture brought forward as part of the 16th matchday of Ligue 1, which took place in the presence of HSH Prince Albert II and President Dmitry Rybolovlev.

The context 📅

This match against the leader of the top flight was a chance for the Rouge et Blanc to finish the year 2024 well in the league. But it was also an opportunity to erase the memory of the draw in Reims, and to be assured of a place on the podium in 2025. It wouldn’t be easy, against a team that until now was unbeaten in Ligue 1, even if they’d been beaten three times in their last four visits to the Principality.

They are the big favourites in Ligue 1 and have won big games in Marseille, Lens and at home against Lyon on Sunday. They have had more difficulties in the Champions League, but I am not here to judge their performances. They are still in the race to get their place in the playoffs. But I repeat, they showed against Lyon that they are indeed the strongest team in the league.

The XI 👥

In an attempt to counter Luis Enrique’s setup, coach Adi Hütter decided to rely on his playing principles, with an attacking 4-2-3-1. Like last year, Wilfried Singo started on the right flank, while Vanderson played on the left. Finally, the Camara-Magassa duo took their place in midfield, behind the usual attacking quartet.

The scenario 🎞

This high-level match started very strongly, with a scare at the start for the Monegasques, when Achraf Hakimi’s cross/shot smashed off the post (4′). There was another nervy moment in the aftermath, when on the other wing Bradley Barcola bursts forward, only to be denied by an impressive Philippe Köhn, (5′). The Rouge et Blanc then tried to react, and at the end of a solo run, Eliesse Ben Seghir shot hard but found only Donnarumma’s gloves (8′).

A premature exit for Donnarumma

The Italian would then be forced to leave the pitch earlier than expected, following a facial injury on an unintentional kick from Singo (22′). Unfortunately, the stoppage of play before the change seemed to sap the legs of the Monegasques, and Désiré Doué takes advantage to score on a pass from Hakimi, who was involved again (0-1, 24′). His Morocco international teammated then tried his luck with a direct free kick, but Eliesse’s attempt was pushed back by the wall (35′).

Philipp Köhn imperious, Ben Seghir decisive !

It then took two reflex saves from Philipp Köhn to push back Hakimi’s attempt from range (42′) and Doué’s deflected shot (43′). Half-time therefore arrived with this one-goal deficit and after two final interventions from the Rouge et Blanc goalkeeper. These would prove decisive saves, since as soon as the players returned from the locker room, Eliesse Ben Seghir took responsibility and converted a penalty awarded for a Parisian handball (1-1)!

A rollercoaster of emotions

It was a moment of pure cool for the attacking midfielder, formed at the Academy, who scored his fifth goal in Ligue 1 this season. This completely relaunched the game, so much so that in the process, Maghnes Akliouche played in Breel Embolo on a plate to make it 2-1 (60)! It was the fourth assist for this other young talent formed on the Rock. This moment of joy was of short duration unfortunately, since Ousmane Dembélé was quick to turn home from Köhn’s save (2-2, 64′).

Twist of fate on a corner

The rhythm of the match dropped with various substitutions, before one from the Parisian side, Gonçalo Ramos, scored on a header from a corner (2-3, 83′). It was a tough blow for Adi Hütter’s men, especially since soon after, Maghnes Akliouche slalomed through the opposing defense before cutting the ball back for Takumi Minamino who was denied by Safonov (85′). There was then more bad luck for the Japanese international after he beat his defender (91′).

Lift our heads in the Coupe de France

Philipp Köhn was then impressive again on a curling shot by Lee Kang-In that he deflected onto his right post (92′). On the other hand, he could do nothing about Dembélé’s deep run, who gave himself a double with a subtle chip deep in stoppage time (2-4, 97′).

It was thus a bitter defeat for the Rouge et Blanc, who had managed to turn the game around before cracking in the last quarter of an hour. The team’s last match of 2024 will be at the Stadium this Saturday in the Coupe de France against Union Saint-Jean.

Key moments  🎥

4′: Hakimi’s cross/shot caroms off the post 5′: Barcola gets forward and strikes from a tight angle, but Köhn keeps it out 8′: Ben Seghir’s makes a run and shoots from afar, but Donnarumma saves 24′: Hakimi plays a cutback to Doué who scores (0-1) 35′: Ben Seghir’s direct free-kick is blocked back by the wall 42: Hakimi’s powerful shot is deflected by Köhn 43′: Doué’s deflected shot is stopped by Köhn 45+1′: Marquinhos’ header is caught by the Swiss goalkeeper 45+4′: Dembélé’s powerful shot is deflected by Köhn 50′: Golovin’s curling shot goes over 54′: Ben Seghir’s penalty levels the score (1-1) 60′: Akliouche’s cross to Embolo sees the striker find the net (2-1) 64′: Dembélé pounces on a shot deflected by Köhn (2-2) 79′: Embolo has header on a cross from Akliouche 83′: A corner by Lee Kang-In finds Ramos who scores with a header (2-3) 85′: A slaloming run from Akliouche sees him play in Minamino who is denied by Safonov 91′: Minamino beats his defender before shooting narrowly wide 92′: A curling shot from Lee Kang-In deflected by Köhn onto the post 96′: A shot by Dembélé is caught by Köhn 97′: Found with a ball over the top, Dembélé scores with a chip (2-4)

🗓️ Match details:

Wednesday December 18 (21:00) – Stade Louis-II

Ligue 1 – Matchday 16: AS Monaco 2-4 Paris Saint-Germain

Halftime: 0-1

Goals: Ben Seghir (53′), Embolo (60′) for AS Monaco; Doué (24′), Dembélé (64′, 97′) and Ramos (83′) for Paris

Bookings: Singo (13′), Camara (29′) for AS Monaco

AS Monaco: Köhn – Singo, Kehrer ©, Salisu (Ilenikhena, 89′), Vanderson – Camara (Minamino, 74′), Magassa – Akliouche, Ben Seghir, Golovin (Matazo, 89′) – Embolo

Substitutes: Lienard, Stawiecki, C.Henrique, Kiwa, Ouattara, Bouabré, Matazo, Minamino, Ilenikhena, Michal

Manager: Adi Hütter