AS Monaco ran out 2-0 winners against Lyon in their Coupe de France quarter final in what was a feisty and bruising encounter at the Groupama Stadium.
Producing a strong second half led by Wissam Ben Yedder after being outplayed by the hosts in the first half, Monaco took their chances admirably with a penalty by Ben Yedder and a wicked strike from Kevin Volland propelling them to victory.
With Lyon growing in frustration as the match went on to due to their inability to finish their chances and unhappiness with the officiating, their anger eventually boiled over, with manager Rudi Garcia getting sent to the stands before Sinaly Diomande was sent off when his high boot earned him a second yellow and granted Monaco a penalty on 53 minutes.
Keeping yet another clean sheet, Radoslaw Majecki was excellent in goal by making a host of saves to shut out Lyon and keep his team in the game.
Despite not being anywhere near their best on the night, Monaco managed to weather the storm in the opening stanza to get the job done in the end, which is a hallmark associated with quality teams.
After earning their place in semi finals alongside Paris Saint-Germain, Montpellier and tiny club Rumilly Vallieres, Monaco are certainly in with a good shout to win their first Coupe de France since 1991.
Up next, though, is a tough league clash against Angers, which looms as another vital match for Monaco in their quest to keep up the pressure on Lille and PSG above them.