Ligue 1: Determined AS Monaco secure crucial away win over Angers
Goals from Mika Biereth and Maghnes Akliouche ensured AS Monaco recorded a valuable 0-2 away victory while keeping a clean sheet, as they secured their first road win since early November.
The Match
Wanting to return to winning ways after the disappointing Toulouse draw, Adi Hutter made some key changes for this fixture, with Denis Zakaria, Philipp Kohn and Wilfried Singo notably brought in for this key encounter.
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In front of roughly 500 ASM fans, who’d made the trip to the Stade Raymond Kopa, Les Monegasques made a promising start, with Minamino Vanderson firing off early warning shots.
Despite being in control and looking the better team, the subsequent 20 minutes saw minimal goalmouth action, until Biereth and Moatasem Al-Musrati fired off solid attempts around the half-hour mark.
While a couple of chances fell Monaco’s way to end the opening half, which they couldn’t convert, they entered the interval with the score 0-0.
Eager to increase his team’s threat levels, the Austrian manager introduced Breel Embolo and Lamine Camara for the second stanza. And his changes almost immediately paid off, for Thilo Kehrer came close with a header and Camara unleashed a long-range effort.
Further strikes were then launched by Zakaria and Minamino, as Monaco really began to gain momentum and ramp up the pressure.
Les Rouge et Blanc were eventually rewarded for all their hard work when they surged ahead courtesy of Biereth, who applied the finishing touch to Caio Henrique’s masterful delivery in the 77th minute.
To cap off their strong display, Akliouche won a penalty late, which he expertly converted, to clinch the points for the visitors.
This triumph was made even sweeter given OGC Nice and Lille both dropped points, meaning ASM now moves up to third in the Ligue 1 standings.
Hutter’s Debrief
“It’s a very important victory indeed at the moment, with a clean sheet and three points acquired away from home for the first time in a long time! The last one was in Strasbourg last November (1-3). I want to congratulate Angers who closed the game down a lot in the first half where we were too slow in the game in my opinion, even if we dominated the debates but without being very threatening. So I must say that this success at the end satisfies me greatly, because it is very important,” explained the 55-year-old.
“We’re happy with the moment, but the Cote d’Azur derby is in two weeks in Monaco between two very good teams. It was very important to take the three points tonight, especially after yesterday’s draw between Nice and Auxerre and Lille’s defeat at Nantes. We did the job tonight, and now it’s time to prepare for the clash against OGCN.”
Key Stats
By the numbers, the fact ASM held the ascendancy in terms of expected goals (1.95 to 0.49), total shots (16 to 5), shots on target (5 to 2), shots inside the box (11 to 3), passes in the opposition half (283 to 150) and touches inside the box (32 to 13) illustrated they were the far superior outfit.
Derby Up Next
All eyes will now turn to what promises to be a thrilling derby against Nice following the international break – a clash that will be crucial in the race for a coveted top-three finish between two teams both on 47 points.