Trophée des Champions: we stayed with AS Monaco in Qatar to the (bitter) end
Despite an outstanding performance from goalkeeper Philipp Köhn and a solid defence against the Parisian giants, AS Monaco lost 1-0 to PSG in front of 39,682 spectators in the 2024 Trophée des Champions © AS Monaco
We followed AS Monaco all the way to Doha, the Qatari capital, for an intense Trophée des Champions trip. On the programme: training sessions and cultural discoveries before a thrilling clash with Paris Saint-Germain on the final day. Although the Red and Whites returned home disappointed after a frustrating 1-0 defeat in extra time, there were positive takeaways from the trip.
Thursday 2 January – the AS Monaco players set foot on Qatari soil just before 10 pm local time, after a 5.5-hour flight aboard a rare aircraft, the A340-313 operated by the charter company USC, which had flown to Nice for the very first time. With a time difference of just two hours, it was the start of a new adventure for Adi Hütter’s men, as they prepared for a major challenge.
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Nos Monégasques sont à Doha 🇶🇦 pic.twitter.com/PNX4H3k6ZD
— AS Monaco 🇲🇨 (@AS_Monaco) January 2, 2025
After a warm welcome at Doha airport by the local authorities, with floral necklaces, the Red and Whites then headed for their seafront hotel, with a breathtaking view of the Qatari Skyline.
First training session in ideal conditions
Friday 3 January – The following morning, the Monegasques headed to the Al Erssal Training Centre, a centre of excellence where the players were able to acclimatise to an ideal temperature of 20°C during a closed-door training session.
After a typical warm-up in the sports hall, they went on to practice ball possession and retention, before finishing off with a few shots on goal. It was a valuable opportunity to work on strategy away from the public gaze, before heading to Stadium 974 for the big showdown with PSG.
Time out in the desert
At the end of the afternoon, both AS Monaco and PSG were treated to an extraordinary experience, far from the pitch. In partnership with the Visit Qatar programme, three Monegasque players – Radoslaw Majecki, Kassoum Ouattara and Wilfried Singo – and three of their Parisian opponents were given the opportunity of discovering the Sealine Beach desert. After an hour’s journey from Doha past oil factories, camels and rallies in the dunes, the players arrived at their destination.
It was a truly authentic experience, with local activities such as buggy racing, tasting traditional foods, Arabic calligraphy and even an encounter with oryx, Qatar’s emblematic animal. All this was followed by a footvolley session, which the Monegasques won 4-0, before going on stage and posing together with the famous Trophy.
The exposure to Qatari culture gave the players a welcome break before getting down to the serious business of intense preparation.
Final adjustments at Stadium 974
Saturday 4 January – On the eve of the final, the Monegasques checked out the pitch at Stadium 974, a venue that some players already know very well, such as Denis Zakaria, who spoke about his memories of international competition there.
“It’s special to come here to Qatar to play this match, even if it’s not my first time, as I played twice in the stadium with Switzerland at the 2022 World Cup. It’s a magnificent stadium, and I remember there was a great atmosphere too, so I think the vibe will be good tomorrow,” said the captain at the press conference.
In summery conditions, the training session, open to the media this time, was an opportunity for the players to get a feel for the pitch before the big day. The group put in another hard session, with warm-up workshops to develop explosiveness and pacing, as well as short-range opposition work, under the watchful eye of a large number of journalists and photographers.
A stadium that can be dismantled and a financially attractive competition
The Trophée des Champions, originally scheduled to take place in China last summer, has finally found a home in Doha, at Stadium 974, which hosted the 2022 World Cup. Fun fact, it takes its name from the number of containers used in its construction, 974, which is also Qatar’s international phone code.
In addition to the spectacular setting provided by the stadium, the Trophée des Champions also represents a major financial investment. The finalists, AS Monaco and PSG, each received a bonus of around €500,000 for taking part, with travel expenses paid by the organisers.
The winner can expect an additional bonus of €2 million, while the losing finalist receives half that amount. The bonuses, which are substantial in the football world, were financed by the Ligue de Football Professionnel (LFP) thanks to funds donated by Qatar for organising the event, which is aimed at promoting sport as well as the country’s international image.
The match: A cruel defeat in the dying minutes
Sunday 5 January, 5.30 pm, match day. And what a match. PSG, looking to capitalise on their Ligue 1 win over AS Monaco in December, quickly gained the upper hand in terms of possession and dominated proceedings early on.
However, the Monegasques bared their teeth throughout the match, with Philipp Köhn heroic in goal, fending off a multitude of Parisian chances. The Red and Whites put in a solid performance, despite their defence being severely tested.
Although AS Monaco looked like a different team in the second half, with a much more aggressive approach, the battle became increasingly difficult and PSG finally found the breakthrough in added time (90+2), when Fabian Ruiz, running down the left wing and drawing the Monegasque goalkeeper out, put in a perfect cross for Ousmane Dembélé, who merely needed to nudge the ball into the empty net (1-0). It was a killer goal that denied AS Monaco the chance to clinch their first title of the season.
“Philipp Köhn made 9 saves in the match against PSG, his highest total across all competitions in 34 games for Monaco. He “prevented” 2.71 goals against his team today according to the Expected Goals model (3.71 xGs on target for 1 goal conceded), the highest total for a goalkeeper at the club this season,” AS Monaco wrote in its post-match analysis.
“As a goalkeeper,it’s obviously good to be able to put in this kind of performance. It wasn’t easy at the start, but then I made a lot of saves to help the team and repay them for the faith they have in me. Today, I gave it everything I could, but sometimes that’s not enough. I would have preferred to have made just one save, and win. That’s football, and I’m trying to take the positives and improve,” explained the keeper after the match.
Dembélé may have been voted man of the match, but Köhn was nonetheless impressive in goal. The Swiss goalkeeper, currently in competition with Radoslaw Majecki, undoubtedly did himself some favours in this final, and his performance could have been decisive if the match had gone to penalties (which we all expected).
“It’s true the penalty shoot-out was close, we were unlucky. We also had our chances, but in the end it wasn’t an undeserved win for Paris Saint-Germain, who dominated the match. It’s difficult to accept, but that’s sport, and we need to take the positives from the match and refocus on the championship,” said Köhn.
Adi Hütter’s reactions
Although he acknowledges that PSG deserved their victory, the Monegasque coach is still very disappointed with the result. “When you lose a match in the dying minutes, the main feeling is always disappointment. That’s what I feel, but still if you look at the game as a whole, PSG deserved to win. However I’m pleased with what we did tonight, because we fought right to the end to take it to penalities.”
We had a few chances, but we also handed a lot to PSG, particularly from set-pieces where we weren’t organised enough. I would like to congratulate PSG on their title, even though we are obviously very disappointed by the defeat,” he said.
What did he think they were lacking, what prevented them from winning the game: “First of all, it has to be said that Paris Saint-Germain have some real quality players. My team was too passive in the first half, and we didn’t do enough when we lost the ball. Particularly after set-pieces, we weren’t aggressive enough. The second half was better, and we had chances to score, with Vanderson even hitting the post. So it was a bitter disappointment to lose the match in the dying seconds.”
A word about Köhn’s performance: “I obviously want to congratulate him, because he played a fantastic game tonight with some incredible saves that kept us in the game for a long time. We are therefore all the more disappointed for him that we lost the match.”
A bitter taste, but also lessons learned
Despite the disappointment, AS Monaco can learn several positive lessons from their experience in Doha. The team showed that it could rival Paris Saint-Germain at a major event, and was impressively strong in defence.. Alll that was needed was that little spark to seal the win.
The return trip from Doha on Sunday night turned the page on the first challenge of the year, but the objective remains intact: to bring a cup back to the Principality this season. The Trophée des Champions has eluded the Monegasques, but Adi Hütter’s team know they have what it takes to compete with the best teams in Europe. Now it’s back the championship, with an away game at Nantes on Friday at 7pm.