Ligue 1: Spirited comeback earns AS Monaco 2-2 draw with Nantes
AS Monaco admirably fought back from a two-goal deficit against Nantes to secure a 2-2 draw at the Stade de la Beaujoire.
The Match
Heading into the match, rotation and squad management was a key talking point in Adi Hutter’s pre-match press conference, and the Austrian made some interesting selections for this one, which was headlined by him handing Saimon Bouabre his first professional start.
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An energetic Nantes raced out to open proceedings in style to take the lead in the 12th minute through Matthis Abline, who smartly converted Sorba Thomas’ cross.
Johann Lepenant backed that up with a dangerous effort not long after for the home team before Lamine Camara unleashed ASM’s first sighter.
Les Monegasques continued to grow into the clash in their search for a leveller, as Breel Embolo and Denis Zakaria came close prior to the interval.
Enter the second stanza, and Nantes jumped out of the blocks to get the ball rolling like they did in the first half, with Kelvin Amian doubling their advantage in the 47th minute to give Monaco an uphill task to salvage anything from this fixture.
Rebounding rapidly to give themselves a lifeline, it was impressive how Monaco pegged a goal back through Embolo’s masterful finish following a tidy pass by Wilfried Singo.
The chances kept flowing for the away outfit, as Eliesse Ben Seghir and Singo fired off attempts. The equaliser then arrived around the hour mark courtesy of Mohammed Salisu’s powerful header. Game on.
The tempo of the match settled in the subsequent exchanges while both teams made substitutions in preparation for a final push for victory.
Although Monaco and Nantes enjoyed late opportunities to snatch the win, as Embolo and Moses Simon were extremely close to finding the back of the net, both teams were ultimately forced to settle for a draw.
Hutter’s Debrief
“I’m not happy with the result because we wanted to win tonight. We played too slowly in the first half and we missed too many things. Then, after conceding the second goal, we showed a fighting mentality, that’s what I want to see in every game. But overall, I’m not happy with this draw,” insisted the Austrian tactician.
“Indeed, we went to four defenders because Nantes were defending in a low block in 4-5-1. We were then more aggressive and managed to come back into the game by scoring two goals. If we look at the overall performance, I was totally unsatisfied with our first half, while the second was much better.
“At the moment, we are not happy with the results obtained, that is clear. Last year, we were also in difficulty in January. The end of the season is in May and not now, we know what we have to do. Everyone has the will to get back on track and fight.”
Key Stats
By the numbers, the fact ASM held the ascendancy in terms of expected goals (3.30 to 0.83), total shots (15 to 10), shots on target (7 to 4), shots inside the box (11 to 8), big chances created (6 to 3), passes in the opposition half (271 to 104) and touches in the opposition box (31 to 20) illustrated Monaco’s dominance and why they were disappointed not to clinch all three points.
Coupe de France Awaits
Next up for Les Monegasques is a Coupe de France encounter with Reims, where progressing will be the aim, as part of Monaco’s wider goal to triumph in the prestigious competition.