Dominant Monaco are held by a resilient Nice side | OneFootball

In the 110th Côte d’Azur derby, the Red and Whites created the best chances but were unable to break down the Nice defence, with the match ending 0–0.

They certainly created the best chances. Unfortunately, in this 110th Côte d’Azur derby, AS Monaco lacked the cutting edge, most notably hitting the crossbar in the first half, and were held to a draw by OGC Nice (0–0). Match report. ✍️

The context 📅

Fresh off a convincing win over Rennes last weekend (4-0), AS Monaco were aiming to build momentum with a second straight victory in a match like no other: the Côte d’Azur derby against Nice. After a thrilling 2–2 draw in the reverse fixture, Les Rouge et Blanc were determined to come out on top this time and assert their local supremacy (47 wins, 29 draws and 33 defeats from 109 top-flight meetings).

A derby has to be played with a lot of heart, plenty of intensity, and real aggression. Nice’s progression in the Coupe de France? Winning in the last minute can give you a psychological edge combined the taste of victory, but I think the substitutes - who are usually regular starters - brought the impact that was needed.

The lineup 👥

For their third match in the space of a week, Sébastien Pocognoli sticks with his 3-4-2-1 system, handing Simon Adingra his first start at left wing-back. Aladji Bamba returns to the starting XI in midfield alongside Lamine Camara, as does Folarin Balogun, who led the line. Behind him, Maghnes Akliouche and Aleksandr Golovin were tasked with supplying the ammunition.

The scenario 🎞

PThere was no feeling-out period in this 110th Côte d’Azur derby, with Folarin Balogun rattling the crossbar almost immediately (3′). Moments later, OGC Nice thought they had won a penalty for a handball by Thilo Kehrer, but the decision was overturned by VAR (5′). The hosts looked dangerous from set pieces, though headers from Dante (10′) and Ali Abdi (16′) went wide.

A balanced first half

The tempo quickly dropped, and it took until the half-hour mark for the next real chance of the game. It come from Monaco’s No. 9, whose angled strike was pushed away by the foot of Maxime Dupé (31′). Nice responded through Sofiane Diop, who fired wide (33′). The first half was evenly matched and ended goalless (0–0).

Chances for both sides

The second half started much like the first, with a big opportunity for the Red and Whites as Aleksandr Golovin’s half-volley was punched clear by Maxime Dupé (47′). Overall, Monaco were on top, though they had to remain alert to a long-range effort from Gabin Bernardeau, which Köhn gathered (63′). Moments later, Sébastien Pocognoli brought on Caio Henrique (65′), whose free kick found the head of Denis Zakaria, but the attempt went wide (67′).

The derby then sprung into life as Elye Wahi’s shot was gathered by the Swiss goalkeeper (71′), before Thilo Kehrer cleared an effort from the former Monaco man off the line (72′). The Belgian coach then makes a triple substitution, bringing on Vanderson, Mamadou Coulibaly and Mika Biereth (76′). But it was Nice who threatened again, with their No. 11 once more denied by Philipp Köhn (81′).

A third straight league clean sheet

The final chance of the match falls to the Red and Whites, but Dupé made a save to deny Mika Biereth (96′). This 110th Côte d’Azur derby therefore ended in a goalless draw (0–0), a result that nonetheless saw AS Monaco record a third consecutive clean sheet in the league. Next up is a home clash with Nantes at Stade Louis-II on Friday (21:05).

The highlights 🎥

3′: Balogun’s shot hits the crossbar 5′: Penalty for OGC Nice overturned after VAR review 10′: Dante heads over from Diop’s corner 16′: Abdi heads Clauss’ free kick wide 31′: Dupé saves Balogun’s angled shot with his foot 33′: Diop fires wide, Köhn collects easily 47′: Golovin’s half-volley punched away by Dupé 63′: Long-range strike from Bernardeau comfortably saved by Köhn 67′: Zakaria heads wide from Caio Henrique’s free kick 71′: Wahi’s shot stopped by Köhn 72′: Kehrer clears Diop’s effort off the line 81′: Wahi’s first-time shot saved by Köhn 96′: Dupé intervenes to deny Biereth

🗓️ Match sheet:

Sunday 8th February 2026 (15:00) – Allianz Riviera

Ligue 1 McDonald’s – 21st Matchday: OGC Nice 0-0 AS Monaco

Half time: 0-0

Yellow cards: Diop (18′), Wahi (90′) for OGC Nice ; Balogun (13′), Vanderson (88′) for AS Monaco

OGC Nice: Dupé – Clauss, Dante ©, Oppong, Abdi – Vanhoutte (Everton, 91′), Sanson (Bah, 84′) – Louchet (Ndombele, 64′), Bernardeau (Boudache, 64′), Diop (Jansson, 84′) – Wahi

Substitues: Diouf, Bah, Abdul Samed, Boudache, Coulibaly, Jansson, Ndombele, Everton, Diallo

Coach: Claude Puel

AS Monaco: Köhn – Teze, Zakaria ©, Kehrer – Diatta (Vanderson, 76′), Bamba (Coulibaly, 76′), Camara, Adingra (Biereth, 76′) – Akliouche, Golovin (C.Henrique, 65′) – Balogun