Ligue 1: Pocognoli celebrates first AS Monaco win with triumph over Toulouse
© AS Monaco
AS Monaco finally rediscovered the taste of victory, as they defeated Toulouse at home to secure a first win for new manager Sébastien Pocognoli.
After five games without reigning supreme in all competitions, including four consecutive draws, Monaco returned to winning ways. The only goal of the evening was the work of Mohammed Salisu at the very beginning of the contest. The new Monaco coach finally scored his first victory in princely territory, under the eyes of Prince Albert II and President Dmitry Rybolovlev.
A match under the sign of Pink October
Three days after the encouraging performance against Tottenham Hotspur, the Principality club continued with a second clash within familiar confines of the week. In an attempt to win, Pocognoli renewed his 3-4-2-1 formation but with some changes compared to the Champions League. Exit Caio Henrique, injured left foot, replaced by Christian Mawissa, former Téfécé player. Aleksandr Golovin and Takumi Minamino played in midfield and attack, respectively.
As it has been for several years now, the Red and Whites were supporting the Pink October campaign, dedicated to breast cancer awareness and screening. On this occasion, a special system was set up to raise public awareness and funds for research. The fictitious kick-off was given by the president of the association Écoute Cancer Réconfort, Valérie Barilaro, who was presented with a jersey by the general manager, Thiago Scuro. The players also wore a pink jersey during the warm-up.
“For us, a small association, this visibility is very important. For the patients who are in the stands, it allows them to see that everyone is thinking of them, that there is support and that actions are being taken,” the head of the association told Monaco Tribune at half-time.
Salisu strikes early
We shouldn’t have arrived late at the Stade Louis-II! After only three minutes of play, on a free kick taken by Kassoum Ouattara, the Ghanaian defender placed a winning header and quickly broke the deadlock. A perfect start for Paul Pogba’s teammates, present in the stands and happy with this opening goal. This goal was a blow to the morale of the Téfécé, who did not manage to worry their opponent, with only one effort on target in the first half.
😳 PAS LE TIME !
— L1+ (@ligue1plus) October 25, 2025
🇬🇭 Mohammed Salisu ouvre le score pour Monaco sous les yeux de Paul Pogba 👀#ASMTFC pic.twitter.com/TLYsSWKelZ
At the half-hour mark, ASM missed scoring the breakaway goal. On a delivery from Ouattara, who was very mobile on his left side, Folarin Balogun came up against a defiant goalkeeper in Guillaume Restes. Ansu Fati followed behind, but his attempt went wide. The only scare before the break for the Monegasque team was a lobbed cross from Yann Gboho that almost got the better of Philipp Köhn.
Latest clean sheet
On the return from the locker room, Pocognoli decided to bring on Jordan Teze in the middle in place of Mamadou Coulibaly. Maghnès Akliouche and George Ilenikhena also appeared a few moments later to give more attacking weight. But Monaco were sluggish, while Toulouse struggled to really cause problems for captain Thilo Kehrer’s teammates. However, ASM squandered the opportunity to seal it with twenty minutes to go.
Then, on a cross from Krépin Diatta, young midfielder Pape Cabral, another substitute, also failed to beat Restes, who was once again decisive, before Ouattara saw his shot pushed away by the post. Nothing else of note happened in the match, but the main takeaway is that ASM ended a month-long run of poor results and recorded a second successive clean sheet – their first such streak since last April.
Pocognoli’s debrief
Monaco’s fifth league win this season allows them to provisionally climb onto the podium and edge to within three points of Paris Saint-Germain, whom they welcome at the end of November. At the conclusion of the match, the Belgian coach did not hide his joy at finally achieving a deserved victory. “I’m happy and proud. For a young coach, it’s always a challenge, and we did it very well. It gives me a lot of energy. In the end, the players deserve this victory for everything we put in place,” he reflected.
“I really liked the attitude of our defenders and our pistons, who worked a lot. It’s always satisfying for a goalkeeper to have a second clean sheet. Beyond the technical imperfections, there are some positive things in terms of the defensive solidity,” he added.
Big week ahead
Next up for Monaco is a tough road trip to Nantes this Wednesday night (9:05 p.m.) at the Beaujoire, before they head home three days later to host newly promoted Paris FC. After that, they’ll shift their focus back to the Champions League, where they’re still searching for their first triumph.