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Review

Ligue 1: AS Monaco impressively defeat Lyon to secure Champions League qualification

By Edward Stratmann
Published on 11 May 2025
5 minutes read
By Edward Stratmann
- 11 May 2025
5 minutes read

AS Monaco secured their place on the Ligue 1 podium and in next season’s UEFA Champions League thanks to a superb 2-0 victory against Olympique Lyonnais on a festive evening at the Stade Louis II.

In a warm atmosphere for the last home match of the season, AS Monaco got the job done against a tough opponent. Thanks to goals from Takumi Minamino and Denis Zakaria, the Red and Whites have now claimed a place on the podium and thus validated their ticket for next term’s Champions League.

Prince Albert II and President Dmitry Rybolovlev were present in the stands to celebrate this victory. President Rybolovlev was also present at AS Monaco’s training session at La Turbie on the eve of this important clash with Lyom. His visit paid off, as did his visit to the performance centre before the 3-1 win over Saint-Etienne on 3 May. A great reward for the Principality club, who finished this campaign’s home fixtures in style in front of their supporters.

Prince Albert II and President Dmitry Rybolovlev celebrate the victory in the stands © AS Monaco

The Match

Selecting a strong squad for this massive sold-out clash, Adi Hutter notably handed Mika Biereth, who went off injured last week, a start alongside Breel Embolo upfront.

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© AS Monaco

The match began with both teams trading blows, as Biereth, Malick Fofana, Tanner Tessmann and Alexandre Lacazette had decent early chances.

Minamino was next to try his luck, but his effort was smartly saved by Lucas Perri. The threat of the Japanese international kept up, for he narrowly missed shortly after.

Philipp Kohn continued his solid opening half by producing an outstanding stop to repel Fofana’s blast just beyond the half-hour mark.

Entering the interval level, the stage was set for a pivotal second stanza, as the intensity inevitably elevated.

ASM began with gusto, with Embolo and Maghnes Akliouche drawing saves from Perri between the posts.

Monaco then deservedly took the lead, as Minamino masterfully found the back of the net with a wonderful low strike.

Les Monegasques wasted little time in doubling their advantage, for Zakaria stepped up with a towering header to emphatically meet Lamine Camara’s precise cross.

Desperate to mount a comeback, Tessmann and Rayan Cherki did their best to help Lyon produce some late heroics. But Les Monegasques held firm while maintaining their offensive menace to clinch a crucial win.

This result means AS Monaco now has 61 points and sits third in the standings. For Lyon, it was a nightmare evening as they dropped to seventh, out of the European places, and three points from fourth place.

Hutter’s Debrief

“Before the match, we didn’t expect this victory to qualify us for the Champions League again. We had to get the job done first by winning, and we did that in a great match against Lyon. The fact that all the other results went our way is crazy and strange, but I’m really happy, as you can imagine,” explained the Austrian.

© AS Monaco

“Everyone was happy in the locker room and I think we deserved this qualification. I am very proud of my players, my technical staff and my performance team, who work with me every day, which is sometimes not easy. If we look at our last 10 matches, and like last season, we have only conceded one defeat in Brest where we were unlucky.”

Key Stats

The numbers reflected ASM’s upper hand in this tightly contested match – leading in expected goals (1.26 to 0.49), total shots (11 to 9), shots on target (5 to 4), shots inside the box (9 to 4), touches in the area (34 to 13), passes in the attacking half (206 to 159) and duels won (54 to 44).

An Evening Of Celebration At The Louis II

This triumph had a special flavour at the Stade Louis II, which was celebrating its last home game of the crusade. The Monegasque supporters, who came in large numbers with the presence of nearly twenty branches of the Monaco Supporters’ Club from all over Europe, were able to attend a great display by their team.

Before the match, the members were invited to a cocktail party at the edge of the pitch, while the supporters’ trophies were presented to Akliouche (best player of the season) and Biereth (best player of the second half of the season). A just reward for the two players, authors of seven goals and 11 assists respectively in all competitions for the former, and 13 goals in Ligue 1 for the latter.

Also on the topic of awards, this victory came on the eve of the presentation of the UNFP Trophies, for which three Monegasques received nominations: Hutter (best coach), Eliesse Ben Seghir (best young player) and Akliouche (Just Fontaine Trophy for the most beautiful goal of the season).

Finally, the supporters were able to meet Jean-Luc Ettori, the most capped player in the club’s history (755 matches), who was present on the forecourt of the stadium for a signing session from 7:30 pm. The Kids Tour entertainment was in full swing from 6:30 pm as well.