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Review

Ligue 1: Dominant AS Monaco forced to settle for a draw with resolute Strasbourg

By Edward Stratmann
Published on 20 April 2025
5 minutes read
Malgré de belles initiatives locales, les Rouge et Blanc butent sur un Strasbourg accrocheur
By Edward Stratmann
- 20 April 2025
5 minutes read

In a warm atmosphere in front of 12,825 spectators, as well as Prince Albert II and President Dmitry Rybolovlev, at the Stade Louis II, AS Monaco failed to continue its winning streak at home, drawing 0-0 against Racing Club de Strasbourg Alsace.

Despite dominating large portions of the encounter and conjuring several terrific chances, Adi Hütter’s men did not find the fault against a solid and disciplined Strasbourg team.

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Sadly, the day began with sadness with the announcement of the death of Nikola Pokrivač, the former Croatian defensive midfielder who played for Monaco during the 2008-2009 season. Passed away at the age of 39 in a road accident the day before, the Croatian international had played 36 matches for the Red and Whites. A minute’s applause was observed before kick-off in tribute to his memory.

Before the doors of the Louis II opened, supporters were able to enjoy the Kids Tour activities from 5pm, followed at 6pm by a signing session with Frédéric Piquionne, former Monaco striker in 2007-2008, who took part in signing autographs and taking selfies on the stadium forecourt.

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The match was also an opportunity for the club from the Rock to reaffirm its commitment to amateur football. As part of the Tous au Stade (All to the Stadium) campaign, more than 2,500 members from the Mediterranean League, the Côte-d’Azur District, and neighbouring Italian clubs turned out to cheer on the Monegasques.

Continuing this long-term commitment, Thiago Scuro, General Manager of AS Monaco, presented a cheque during the warm-up to Arnaud Doudet, General Manager of the Mediterranean League, and Frédéric Minerva, Vice President of the Côte-d’Azur District. This sum, corresponding to a portion of the ticket revenue generated this season during the matches against Nice and Lille, comes in addition to the more than €20,000 already collected over the last two seasons.

The Stade Louis II also had the honour of welcoming Romain Arneodo, recent winner of the prestigious Rolex Monte-Carlo Masters 2025 in doubles alongside Manuel Guinard, who became the first Monegasque player in history to win this tournament. Thiago Scuro symbolically presented him with an AS Monaco jersey before he gave the fictitious kick-off to the match.

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The Match

Heading into this one with six consecutive home victories, Monaco were keen to extend this impressive run.

While Strasbourg had the first big opening through Emanuel Emegha, which Christian Mawissa valiantly cleared off the line, ASM settled into proceedings nicely after this moment.

Les Monegasques almost hit the lead when Maghnes Akliouche fired off a strong attempt, only for Djordje Petrović to produce a solid save 19 minutes in.

© AS Monaco

The two teams then fought for supremacy in midfield areas and found quality chances hard to come by before ASM thought they’d scored courtesy of Mika Biereth. But his goal was ruled out for a marginal offside.

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The second stanza began with gusto and intensity, as both sides looked to gain the upper hand in this crunch clash.

Even though opportunities were still proving difficult to generate, Valentin Barco, Biereth and Eliesse Ben Seghir all threatened to ripple the back of the net following a tense first 20 minutes of the second 45.

The introduction of star striker Folarin Balogun almost worked wonders, as he unleashed a header on net that was narrowly off target.

A pulsating finale ensued, with two chances falling to Denis Zakaria while Emegha had a strike chalked off for offside late, in a match that ultimately ended 0-0.

© AS Monaco

Hutter’s Debrief

“It’s not a negative result. We obviously wanted to win and take three points, but I feel we had the best chances of the match. I also want to congratulate my players for their defensive performance,” Hutter reflected.

© AS Monaco

“In the first half, our pressure wasn’t intense enough. But after the break, we dominated the game. Both teams were obviously unlucky with the two disallowed goals, but I’m happy with this point, which will be important in the race for the Champions League.”

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Key Stats

By the numbers, the fact ASM held the ascendancy in terms of expected goals (0.93 to 0.39), total shots (12 to 5), shots on target (4 to 2), shots inside the box (10 to 3) and touches in the opposition box (33 to 15) highlighted they were the more dangerous outfit.

Fight Rolls On

This draw sees Les Monegasques relinquish their second place in the standings due to Olympique de Marseille defeating Montpellier 5-1. For Strasbourg, the point taken away from home confirms their excellent form this season, as they occupy fifth in Ligue 1 with 51 points, level with Lyon. ASM’s next match sees them face off with Le Havre on Saturday.

“All matches are finals. We must prepare as best we can for the next two away games against Le Havre and Saint-Etienne, and ensure we put in some very good performances away from the Principality. All matches are important, and we will see at the end of the season where we will be placed,” insisted the Austrian tactician.

© AS Monaco