Champions League: AS Monaco defeats Galatasaray to keep play-offs hopes alive

In a sold-out Stade Louis-II, AS Monaco secured a precious triumph against Turkish side Galatasaray in the Champions League and are back in the play-off race.

There was pressure on Tuesday night at the Stade Louis-II. ASM, facing a period of uncertainty, needed a victory against the Istanbul club to maintain their chances of qualifying for the play-offs.

In an atmosphere of tension, marked by the strike of the Ultras Monaco at the beginning of the match with their banner “Direction Resignation” and the massive presence of Turkish supporters, the Monegasques suffered for a long time against an enterprising opposing team. But following a missed penalty by Denis Zakaria, it was finally Folarin Balogun who delivered the Rock with a saving goal in the 67th minute (1-0), a strike that allowed ASM to win by the smallest of margins, under the eyes of Prince Albert II and AS Monaco President Dmitry Rybolovlev.

A first half in pain

The opening minutes set the tone. The Turks quickly took control of operations. Faced with an identical 4-2-3-1, ASM were immediately put under duress, with Leroy Sané repeatedly exposing a battling Caio Henrique.

The first big alert came in the 12th minute: Ilkay Gündogan, found alone at the penalty spot by former Monegasque Ismail Jakobs, missed the target. Three minutes later, Sané played in Victor Osimhen at the far post, but the header of the striker, second top scorer in the competition behind a certain Kylian Mbappé, went over. In the 19th minute, Baris Alper Yilmaz even hit the woodwork after beating Vanderson.

Struggling, ASM rarely managed to threaten. Only Maghnes Akliouche tried to wake up his team with two long-range shots (20′, 29′) that were stopped by a vigilant Ugurcan.

Despite the Turkish grip and an attacking trio of Sané, Yilmaz and Osimhen, who were lively but clumsy in the last move, ASMs resisted, helped by a reassuring Lukáš Hrádecký. But at the break, doubts were still present in the Monégasque heads.

Then the awakening of a team

The start of the second half showed a transformed team. In the 48th minute, Takumi Minamino met a cross in the box but came up against Ugurcan before being caught by Davinson Sanchez. The Japanese player collapsed, the VAR confirmed the penalty. Captain for this clash, Zakaria took his responsibilities but came up against the Turkish goalkeeper, who guessed correctly and dived right.

Far from being discouraged, ASM continued to push. Balogun first presented himself in front of the keeper (59′) before missing the target shortly after. The striker could have lost confidence, but this evening was placed under the sign of resilience.

In the 68th minute, from a corner taken by Lamine Camara, the efforts of the Red and Whites finally paid off. After a mix-up in the area and a pass from Thilo Kehrer, Balogun popped up at the far post to put the ball into the net, making it 1–0. It was the American star’s third consecutive goal in the Champions League.

A rediscovered state of mind

What a long wait it was for all the Monegasque fans during the final twenty minutes. Little by little, the Turks regained ground. Galatasaray, with the introduction of Mauro Icardi, threw everything forward in search of an equaliser. Roland Sallai fired over the bar in the 73rd minute, while Yunus Akgün found only the side netting of Hrádecký.

Cornered, the Monegasques still found ways to be dangerous. Lamine Camara almost killed the suspense – and in some style. In the 80th minute, Balogun let a pass from Golovin run through his legs, allowing it to reach the Senegalese midfielder. His shot, unfortunately, ended up in the Turkish stands.

With the entries of Kassoum Ouattara and Jordan Teze, Sébastien Pocognoli locked things down, and ASM held firm until the end to secure a very important victory.

Pocognoli proud

In the press conference, the Belgian coach did not hide his satisfaction. “I am proud of the way the players played, especially in the second half,” he stated. “In the first half, we were a little scared, which meant that we fell back. In the second half, we sent the message that we had to be more enterprising and let go of our doubts to play with a little more confidence.”

Pocognoli was also delighted with the communion found with the public despite the strike at the beginning of the match, explaining: “In stoppage time, we felt that we were one with the supporters. They pushed us.”

He then insisted on his objective: “I want to give a soul and a character to this team. There is a lot of work to be done on a daily basis, it is not visible, but there is really work to be done. Qualification is not done. There’s more effort to make, and we will also be dependent on the other results.”

In the standings, AS Monaco now draw level with their opponents of the evening on nine points and remain in the race for the play-offs, ahead of a prestigious trip to the Bernabéu to face Real Madrid and a home encounter against Juventus at the Louis-II at the end of January.