Ligue 1: 10-man AS Monaco slip to defeat against Lorient
© AS Monaco
Shorthanded after the early dismissal of Thilo Kehrer, AS Monaco suffered a 3-1 defeat against Lorient that ended their series of three consecutive victories. A worrying setback a few days before facing Manchester City in the Champions League and OGC Nice in the derby.
Under the eyes of president Dmitry Rybolovlev and general manager Thiago Scuro, Monaco endured a difficult time at the Stade du Moustoir. Reduced to 10 men in the 38th minute after the sending off of Kehrer, the Monegasques suffered the wrath of Merlus, who were much sharper and claimed the win.
Lorient opened the scoring on a free kick from Mohamed Bamba following the dismissal of the German captain before Pablo Pagis bagged a brace to secure all three points. Near the end of the match, Ansu Fati saved some honour for ASM from the penalty spot, registering his fourth goal in three games in the Red and White jersey (3-1).
An expulsion that turned the match around
Faced with a plethora of injuries, Adi Hütter had to adapt and opted for a three-man defence, which he spoke about in the pre-match press conference.
After a balanced start to the encounter, the turning point of the match came in the 38th minute when Kehrer brought down Lorient winger Dermane Karim to earn his second yellow card following his rather harsh first caution at the beginning of the contest.
L'@AS_Monaco se complique la vie et va jouer plus d'une période en infériorité numérique 😲#FCLASM 🟥 pic.twitter.com/ZNw03YB3DK
— L1+ (@ligue1plus) September 27, 2025
The punishment was swift and twofold. From the resulting free kick, Arsène Kouassi delivered a cross that Bamba volleyed past Philipp Köhn to open the scoring (1-0). Just minutes earlier, Takumi Minamino had come close to catching Yvon Mvogo off guard with a clever lob, which was the only real moment of danger from Monaco in the first half. Lorient’s lead at the interval was well-deserved, as the Monegasques managed just two shots on target in the first half.
Monaco harmless and dominated
Forced to play with ten men for around an hour, ASM never truly threatened the Lorient defence in the second stanza. The statistics told the story: not a single successful dribble, and their first shot on target didn’t come until the 88th minute – a tame effort from Pape Cabral, against what is statistically the league’s weakest defence.
The many absences, such as Lamine Camara being out with an ankle injury and Maghnes Akliouche sidelined with illness, weighed heavily on the attacking animation. Even less inspired in the second half than in the first, Les Monegasques struggled to find solutions against a compact defensive block.
It was then Pablo Pagis who decided to destroy all hopes. The Lorient striker, who came on in the 72nd minute, was set up by Sambou Soumano and beat the entire Monegasque defence before finishing (76′ 2-0).
Six minutes later, Pagis, strangely alone on the edge of the area, did it again with a magnificent curling shot (82′ 3-0).
A small consolation
The only consolation came in the final seconds. Folarin Balogun, introduced at half-time, earned a generous penalty after the ball deflected off Abdoulaye Faye’s arm (90+8′). Fati kept his cool and converted to temporarily take the lead in the Ligue 1 scoring charts.
This loss ends Monaco’s run of three straight victories and costs them top spot, now overtaken by Olympique de Marseille. The 200 travelling supporters in Brittany voiced their frustration after the final whistle, demanding answers from the players.
Hütter, Dier and Diatta react
Incomprehension reigned on the ASM side after Kehrer’s expulsion. “We were reduced after a second yellow for Thilo Kehrer, which, for me, should not have been a yellow, since he did not touch the head of the Lorient player with his arm.” Hütter said. However, the Austrian coach refused to hide behind this decision. “We also have to tell our fans that it is not possible what we showed in the second half is not possible,” lamented the Austrian boss.
Captain after Kehrer’s exit, Eric Dier also cut an unhappy figure, stating: “It’s a shame for Ligue 1. There were two games tonight: one before and one after the dismissal.” Despite this, he admitted that the team’s performance was not up to par. “We didn’t create enough chances. We had a lot of control, but it’s not easy against a team that plays in a low block,” he concluded.
Krépin Diatta, who came on at half-time, then acknowledged the collective shortcomings, commenting: “Today we didn’t exist. There is the context of the red, but that’s not an excuse. The mentality and the state of mind were not there, it’s a shame.”
Huge test on the horizon
Next week promises to be crucial for Hütter and his men with the reception of Manchester City on Wednesday and the derby against OGC Nice on Sunday. It will be essential to react to revive a positive dynamic and prevent this setback from starting a negative spiral.