Ligue 1: AS Monaco prevails in thriller vs Nantes

AS Monaco secured their second consecutive victory with a thrilling 3-5 win over Nantes on Matchday 10 of Ligue 1 to move into second in the table.

The Stade de la Beaujoire witnessed an extraordinary evening on Wednesday, as Nantes and Monaco delivered a high-octane spectacle featuring eight goals, five of which came from the visitors. After a rollercoaster of a match, Sébastien Pocognoli’s side emerged victorious, marking an excellent result in the league standings.

Lively first act

Pocognoli mentioned in the press conference that he was aware of AS Monaco’s struggles away from home. To address this issue, the Belgian opted to stick with his favoured 3-4-2-1 formation, making two changes from the previous game against Toulouse: Maghnès Akliouche took up a right-sided attacking position, while Jordan Teze slotted into central midfield.

The contest got off to an electrifying start, with the first scare coming from Dehmaine Tabibou, whose shot struck Philipp Köhn’s post. Just a minute later, Monaco’s number 11 produced a pinpoint cross to Mamadou Coulibaly, and he duly fired home an unstoppable half-volley in the sixth minute. What a way for the 21-year-old academy graduate to score his first professional goal.

✨ Mamadou Coulibaly lance l'AS Monaco avec un enchainement génial !!!! pic.twitter.com/waQcAQSCFS— beIN SPORTS (@beinsports_FR) October 29, 2025

The Monegasques dominated the Canaries and created several opportunities to extend their lead, but neither Takumi Minamino, Folarin Balogun nor captain Thilo Kehrer managed to convert. It proved a lifeline for Nantes, as they took full advantage to equalise through Bahereba Guirassy in the 19th minute. Less than ten minutes later, the Japanese forward thought he had restored Monaco’s lead, but VAR ruled the goal out for a marginal offside.

No matter – after a precise pass from the opening scorer, the American striker made amends for an earlier missed chance and gave back Monaco the ascendancy, netting his third goal of the league campaign in the 41st minute. But just before the break, Nantes hit back once again, with their 19-year-old centre-forward grabbing his second (45’+6), rounding off a captivating first half.

Akliouche and Golovin shine

Both coaches kept the same 22 players on the pitch, and the quality of the fixture didn’t drop. After providing the assist for Monaco’s opener goal, Akliouche left Anthony Lopes no chance in the 55th minute, calmly finishing with his left from Kassoum Ouattara’s cross. Ouattara then turned provider again, this time setting up substitute Aleksandr Golovin, who opened up his right foot to beat the former Lyon goalkeeper in the 75th minute.

However, the outcome was still far from settled. Luis Castro’s men refused to give in, and it was another substitute, Mostafa Mohamed, who outmuscled Mohammed Salisu to give Nantes hope in the 80th minute. But that hope was extinguished in stoppage time by the Russian, as Golovin sealed the win in this memorable encounter after some fine work from Ansu Fati (90’+4). A deserved brace for Monaco’s #10, who hadn’t found the net since the end of January, as ASM recorded their sixth Ligue 1 win of the season and their second five-goal performance, taking their tally to 23 – the second-best attack in the top flight.

Pocognoli’s debrief

Even if the defence once more showed some frailties, Pocognoli couldn’t hide his satisfaction, choosing instead to focus on his team’s attacking flair and the convincing result they achieved. “It wasn’t all perfect defensively, but I think we played well. As much as our defensive solidity was present in the last two matches, our efficiency in front of goal was less. Today, it’s a bit the opposite,” said the Belgian to beIN Sports.

Named man of the match, Akliouche stopped by the broadcaster’s microphone to talk about his role on the pitch as well. “I feel much better in this position. It allows me to give a lot of balls to my teammates and to score too, so for me, it’s only happiness and pleasure,” he insisted.

Paris FC on the horizon

This emphatic triumph lifts AS Monaco into second place on 20 points, just one behind Paris Saint-Germain, following their 1-1 draw at Lorient. It also means Monaco leapfrog their direct rivals, Marseille and Lyon, who were both held by Angers and Paris FC, respectively. Next up for the Principality side is a home clash vs Paris FC at the Stade Louis-II on Saturday night (19:00).