AS Monaco took down Olympique Lyonnais at home, winning 2-0 at the Stade Louis II for the 26th day of Ligue 1 play.
Three more points for AS Monaco! Victorious against Lyon yesterday evening, the Monegasque side registered a third consecutive home victory and took three valuable points with them along the way. Now seated at 16th in the league standings, the Principality’s club is creating more distance from the red zone with 25 points overall. A new success that Monaco owes to its Portuguese talents with a goal from new offensive recruit Gelson Martin (his third goal in 4 matches) and a follow up goal from Roni Lopes.
Jardim’s men imposed their rhythm from the first minutes, including an acrobatic volley by Falcao whose shot would sail wide (9 ‘). Gelson Martins would capitalize on the team’s consistent pressure just a few minutes later when he recovered a center deflected by Ballo-Toure and sent a powerful strike through the defender’s legs and past an outstretched Rony Lopes, Lyon’s goalkeeper (18′). 1-0 for ASM.
Then, as the half-hour mark approached, Rony Lopes would fool the Lyonnais goalkeeper with a well-placed cross-shot, doubling the lead for Monaco less than 10 minutes later (27’). Score at half-time: 2-0.
Second period: Lyon presses to equalize and Monaco holds them off
Lyon would be more aggressive in the second half and earned a penalty when Glik committed a foul on Dembélé (71′). It was Lyon’s first chance to get on the score sheet, but Subasic deftly swept away Memphis Depay’s effort.
AS Monaco will hold off their adversaries until the end of the game, repelling the attacks of Jean-Michel Aulas’ club. Final score: 2-0 for AS Monaco, which is a fifth consecutive match (including the Coupe de la Ligue) without a loss.
The skipper’s post-match comments
Leonardo Jardim issued these statements post-match: “Tonight we had to win. We are in a situation that requires us earning points. This victory is very important. Our team played a quality match. There are a lot of positive points in the mindset and in the game.
Today the team played at a very good level. I want to give importance to my collective. We played with high pressure. It worked very well. In the second half, we controlled the game. Lyon could have scored but we also had opportunities.
Athletic performances may sometimes vary but the quality of my players stays put. Today we are better but nothing is done. We are already thinking about the next match. We must continue to progress.
We’ve played 4 games out of 16 in this mini championship. Our goal is to be at the level of the best teams in France. For the moment, this is the case. “
Next match: Saturday, March 2nd in Anger for the 27th day of Ligue 1.