Ligue 1: AS Monaco suffer defeat against Paris FC
© AS Monaco
AS Monaco’s unbeaten run under new coach Sébastien Pocognoli came to an end with a 0-1 home defeat to Paris FC on Matchday 11 of Ligue 1. The loss comes at an awkward time, just three days before their Champions League trip to Norway to face Bodø/Glimt.
The month of November has begun poorly for ASM, who suffered their first defeat of the season at the Stade Louis-II. The setback came against the other club from the capital, majority-owned by the Arnault family, whose son Antoine was in attendance. It was a disappointing result for Dmitry Rybolovlev’s men, who was also present at the match, as they allowed Paris Saint-Germain, winners over Nice earlier in the afternoon, to pull away at the top of the table.
A lack of efficiency
Following the midweek victory in Nantes, Belgian coach Pocognoli maintained his 3-4-2-1 system and core line-up. The only changes saw Caio Henrique, Aleksandr Golovin and Mika Biereth replace Christian Mawissa, Takumi Minamino and Folarin Balogun.
Paul Pogba, whose first squad appearance had been anticipated, was once again absent from the group – this time due to a right ankle injury keeping him in the stands.
The fixture drew 11,000 spectators, including over 4,000 young club members from the region and Italy. This was part of Monaco’s “Tous au Stade” (Everyone to the Stadium) initiative, demonstrating the club’s commitment to grassroots football and community engagement with amateur clubs.
Monaco, having won seven of their last nine league matches against promoted sides, looked to continue that trend. And they dominated the early proceedings but failed to trouble Kevin Trapp’s goal. Their clearest opportunity came from Krépin Diatta, whose curling effort from the left narrowly missed following some neat link-up play with Maghnès Akliouche and Biereth in the 22nd minute.
Paris FC responded around ten minutes later from a set piece. Forward Jean-Philippe Krasso struck Philipp Köhn’s right post following a corner kick, serving notice that the visitors posed a genuine threat despite Monaco’s territorial advantage.
Clinical Paris
After a goalless first half, Pocognoli made some alterations at the interval. The ineffective Biereth and Kassoum Ouattara made way for Balogun and Stanis Idumbo.
Frustratingly, it was the substitute Idumbo who was involved in Paris FC’s opener. Former Marseille midfielder Maxime Lopez picked up the Belgian’s poor clearance before pinpointing Moses Simon to finish from six metres out in the 53rd minute. Stéphane Gilli’s side had taken the lead with their only shot on target of the entire contest – a tidy piece of football that punished Monaco’s dominance without end product.
Le caviar de Maxime Lopez pour Moses Simon ! 🍬
— L1+ (@ligue1plus) November 1, 2025
Le Paris FC prend l’avantage 🔥#ASMPFC pic.twitter.com/vqMQoQSR27
Stung by the goal, Monaco reacted quickly. Just five minutes after Paris FC scored, Monégasque winger Akliouche squandered a chance to equalise following excellent work from the American striker Balogun. Trapp, the ex-PSG goalkeeper, denied him with a sharp reflex save using his right foot.
Pocognoli intensified his attacking intent around the hour mark, introducing Minamino and Ansu Fati to try and salvage something from the clash.
The substitutions didn’t help Monaco find a leveller, though. The second stanza proved frustrating and scrappy, with tension boiling over – Minamino, Mamadou Coulibaly and Fati all received yellow cards late on.
The Principality club suffered their second home defeat of 2025. More concerning is their attacking struggles at the Stade Louis-II, where they’ve managed just one goal in three matches across all competitions since Pocognoli’s arrival three weeks ago. Their podium position could be in threat by Sunday night depending on results from their rivals – a worrying development after what had initially seemed a promising start under the new manager.
Pocognoli’s debrief
The former Union Saint-Gilloise coach expressed his disappointment at the conclusion of a match in which his players were undone against a more clinical rival. “It’s a setback. It’s very clear. I must admit that I didn’t expect it. It’s hard because we’re playing at home. We didn’t offer much. Now I’ll see how my group will react after a defeat because we have an important match in a very short time, in three days,” he reflected.
Monaco face a crucial Champions League journey to Norway on Tuesday evening (9pm) to tackle Bodø/Glimt, who, despite leading their domestic league, were recently beaten 3-1 away by Vålerenga. Currently ranked 26th and 27th respectively in the Champions League standings, both sides have collected just two points in the league phase. A defeat would seriously jeopardise Monaco’s chances of reaching the competition’s playoff round – making this essentially a must-win encounter for both teams fighting to keep their European campaign alive.
Asked to speak about the injury to Pogba, Pocognoli provided an interesting update, stating: “He has a grade two sprain. That’s all I can say at the moment. He still has additional tests to undergo next week.” A return of the French superstar now looks most likely after the November international break.