Ligue 1: Ilenikhena’s late strike powers AS Monaco to victory over Auxerre

Up against a spirited AJ Auxerre side, AS Monaco, who had had a numerical superiority for roughly 20 minutes, finally broke the deadlock in the dying moments of the match when George Ilenikihena scored a crucial winner.

Under a deluge in Burgundy, AS Monaco had to dig deep to bring back the three points from Abbé Deschamps, as this result gives some vital momentum ahead of their massive first Champions League clash on Thursday vs Club Brugge.

Leading at the break, the Monegasques found themselves with a man advantage in the 68th minute. Down but not defeated, AJA came back to score two minutes later despite being shorthanded. ASM rallied, and substitute Ilenikhena’s excellent header clinched a dramatic 1-2 triumph.

AJA dominate, ASM strike before the break

With a hugely reshuffled defence – four changes from the win against Strasbourg – the Monegasques suffered in the first half. In the fourth minute, Danny Namaso came close to opening the scoring with a shot that grazed the frame of Philipp Köhn, who was back in the starting line-up following the injury to Lukáš Hrádecký.

Folarin Balogun triggered the first Monegasque alert, but his shot missed the target (12′). On the following action, Lassine Sinayoko inexplicably failed to convert his one-on-one with Köhn (12′), before Sékou Mara forced the Swiss goalkeeper to make a masterful save (21′). Very high up the pitch, the Red and Whites were exposed to Strasbourg’s quick transitions. But the Monegasque defence held firm and were eventually rewarded.

L'arrêt FAN-TAS-TIQUE de Philipp Kohn sur cette frappe de Sekou Mara ! 😱#AJAASM pic.twitter.com/rSQ6mxD53P

— L1+ (@ligue1plus) September 13, 2025

Despite the pressure, ASM managed to find the breakthrough just before the interval. After a poor clearance from the Auxerre defence, the ball came back to Denis Zakaria before landing at the feet of Takumi Minamino. The Japanese ace subsequently beat Théo De Percin to bag his second goal of the season (0-1, 46′) to allow Monaco to return to the sheds in the lead, thanks to their only shot on target of the match.

Auxerre reduced to ten men but tenacious

Better organised and more incisive, Hütter’s team showed a completely different face to begin the second stanza. Meanwhile, tensions rose between Minamino and Josué Casimir, both of whom were punished with a yellow card (55′). A few minutes later, the Auxerre man received a second yellow after a clumsy intervention on Paris Brunner and left his teammates with ten men (68′).

As determined as ever, Auxerre left no room for doubt. Following a corner, Namaso drilled a low cross across goal, and a pressured Mohammed Salisu inadvertently turned the ball into his own net (72′), bringing Auxerre level at 1-1.

Ilenikhena the saviour

Hütter then decided to make a double change in search of securing all three points. The young Aladji Bamba, impressive for a first start in Ligue 1, gave way for Lamine Camara, while Ilenikhena replaced Mika Biereth. However, nothing seemed to work for ASM, as Zakaria saw a penalty disallowed by VAR (80′), and Thilo Kehrer hit the bar (85′).

But this Monegasque team has resilience. And in the 88th minute, on a delivery from Vanderson, Ilenikhena rose to place a perfectly lobbed header that deceived De Percin (1-2). Cue jubilation for the 750 Monegasque supporters present.

Hütter’s debrief

“I’m happy to have taken the three points because it was important to win against Auxerre. It’s always difficult to win there – we knew that. They only lost four games last season at home. I would like to congratulate them. We were a little lucky at the end with that goal scored by George Ilenikhena. I would also like to mention the fact that we made a lot of changes because we are going to have busy weeks ahead,” reflected the Austrian tactician.

“I’m delighted for George, who scored a fantastic goal to give us the victory. I’d like to compliment Aladji, who, at only 19 years old, was starting for the first time in his Ligue 1 career. He played like someone with great experience, so I’m happy with his performance. I’d also like to congratulate the Academy and the Elite Group who help prepare young players for the professional team.”

Zakaria and Ilenikhena react

For his part, Zakaria underlined the importance of the new players: “The new players made the difference. We are really happy to take these three important points for us.”

Striking hero Ilenikhena also made a point of praising the courage of his teammates. “It was a good AJA team, but we were able to hold our heads high and go for that second goal with courage. I work to get the goals and help the team,” he explained.

Up next

Now it’s time for the return of the Champions League on Thursday evening, where ASM will take on Club Brugge. A highly anticipated match where Ansu Fati should make his first appearance, as confirmed by Hütter. “Ansu Fati will be in the group for the first time against Brugge.” Captain Zakaria was eager to start this new European campaign too, stating: “It’s going to be an interesting match. Brugge are a very strong team at home. We’ll try to take the three points there.”

With six games in twenty days, ASM are starting a sequence that could already mark a pivotal first turning point of their season.