Ligue 1: Five-star AS Monaco breeze past Metz
AS Monaco continued their terrific away form by brushing aside Metz 2-5 to propel themselves into second in the Ligue 1 standings.
The Match
Choosing an extremely attacking team for this encounter that featured a nice blend of youth and experience, Adi Hutter’s selection proved to be spot on.
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Racing out to the perfect start, Les Monegasques scorched to the lead in just the fourth minute when Takumi Minamino found the back of the net with an instinctive finish.
They didn’t waste much time doubling their advantage, for Maghnes Akliouche capped off a slick transition with a cool finish shortly after.
Radoslaw Majecki was then called into action, producing a smart save to deny Georges Mikautadze, before Monaco struck again, this time through Vanderson, who slammed home a wicked volley following Aleksandr Golovin’s masterful assist.
Dominating and right on top inside the Stade Saint-Symphorien, Wissam Ben Yedder and Ismail Jakobs were next to have a go, but their efforts were off the mark.
Picking up where they left off, Les Rouge et Blanc started the second stanza with some promising attempts by Minamimo and Golovin.
Doing a great job of limiting their opponents while still looking dangerous, the introduction of Folarin Balogun gave ASM a nice boost, as the USMNT star rapidly stamped his mark by scoring in the 76th minute.
Metz valiantly responded by bagging two quickfire goals courtesy of Papa Diallo and Ibou Sane to give themselves a glimmer of hope in the final stages. But Balogun rubber stamped the result in style by grabbing Monaco’s fifth, and his second, to ensure his team ran out 2-5 winners.
Hutter’s Debrief
“First of all, I would like to congratulate the team for this victory against Metz, because it is never easy to win here. It was a successful match, particularly in the first half, where we played perfectly, and especially in the first quarter of an hour,” explained.
“The team had prepared well all week, we spent time analysing our opponent and it’s fantastic to see how my players were able to demonstrate it on the pitch. Whether in high pressing or on a technical level, I’m really happy with those first fifteen minutes, it’s a great victory for us.”
Key Stats
By the numbers, the fact ASM held the ascendancy in terms of total shots (17 to 13), shots inside the box (14 to 10), possession (64% to 36%), big chances created (6 to 3), passes in the opposition half (343 to 121) and tackles won (21 to 9) illustrated they were good value for the victory.
Up Next
After this exceptional outcome, Monaco will now quickly turn their attention to their colossal upcoming home clash with Rennes, where they’ll be keen to extend their unbeaten league streak to six and further stake their claim for a coveted Champions League place.
“We’ve been here since the start of the season, and I don’t see why that would change. So we’re going to play our cards to the end. We are in a marathon, but each match is at the same time a final. There are seven left, and we will have to scratch as many points as possible everywhere. My goal is to bring AS Monaco back to the Champions League,” insisted Youssouf Fofana.