Ligue 1: AS Monaco draw with RC Lens in drama-filled clash at the Stade Louis II
L'AS Monaco fait un score de parité 1-1 contre le RC Lens au Stade Louis-II pour la 3e journée de Ligue 1 McDonald's © AS Monaco
AS Monaco and RC Lens played out a dramatic 1-1 draw at the Stade Louis II, as both kept up their unbeaten start to the Ligue 1 season.
The Match
Wanting to continue his team’s excellent beginning to the campaign, which had seen them win their first two league matches without conceding a goal, Adi Hutter opted to make a host of changes, notably bringing in Jordan Teze, Wilfried Singo, Kassoum Ouattara and Christian Mawissa.
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Both sides made strong openings in the sweltering heat, as Florian Sotoca for Lens and Takumi Minamino and Maghnes Akliouche for Monaco unleashed some threatening early efforts.
Adrien Thomasson and Wesley Said would be next to come close, for both hit the post in quick succession for Les Sang et Or just past the half-hour mark.
Folarin Balogun and Denis Zakaria then generated some decent passages prior to the interval, but neither were successful, thus meaning the scores were 0-0 at the break.
The second stanza began at a similar pace, with both teams firing off some solid strikes, as Sotoca and Balogun had their attempts repelled by Philipp Kohn and Brice Samba respectively.
Kohn had to be alert to deny Sotoca shortly after Hutter had brought on Breel Embolo, George Ilenikhena and Caio Henrique in his quest to grab all three points.
Remy Labeau-Lascary thought he’d given Lens the lead only for his goal to be harshly ruled out by VAR for a handball earlier in the move.
Zakaria made certain with ASM’s next opportunity to power them ahead with a towering header in the 84th minute.
Monaco were then on the receiving end of a tough refereeing call when Lens were granted a penalty for a handball by Zakaria, which Przemyslaw Frankowski converted at the death.
The two teams now sit level with Olympique de Marseille and FC Nantes in second with seven points.
Hutter’s Debrief
“In the end, it was a logical draw, our performance was not accomplished enough. We would have been very lucky if we had obtained the three points, but Lens showed that they are a great team. I want to congratulate all the players for playing a match at 3pm on the Cote d’Azur,” reflected the Austrian tactician.
“The rules of handball are always a bit complex. Sometimes we are lucky, other times not. For everyone, some situations can be difficult to say if there is a hand or not. For the referees, it is also difficult and they decide together with those who are present in the booth. We have to accept these decisions.”
Key Stats
By the numbers, the fact ASM held the ascendancy in terms of possession (61% to 39%), total shots (14 to 12), passes in the opposition half (180 to 112) and duels won (59 to 44) demonstrated what a force they were even though the result ultimately didn’t go in their favour.
Busy Period On The Horizon
Upon returning from the international break, a very hectic schedule awaits Les Rouge et Blanc, which is headlined by their captivating Champions League clash with Barcelona on September the 19th.