Europa League: AS Monaco cruise past shorthanded Trabzonspor
AS Monaco secured a comfortable 3-1 victory over Trabzonspor, who played the majority of the game with 10 men, in their Europa League group stage clash at the Stade Louis II.
The Match
Wanting to rejuvenate their Europa League campaign after their loss to Ferencvaros, Monaco’s chances of doing so were given a massive boost when Maxi Gomez was sent off 11 minutes in for the Turkish giants for kicking out a high foot at Mohamed Camara.
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Eager to capitalise on their numerical advantage, Philippe Clement’s side duly grabbed the lead just three minutes later through Wissam Ben Yedder, who capped off a sweet move that also involved some tidy work from Caio Henrique and Breel Embolo.
With Monaco unsurprisingly controlling proceedings and constantly probing to double their advantage, they did exactly that just before the interval when Ben Yedder converted his penalty that arose following a foul by Marc Bartra on Vanderson.
Coming out after the break meaning business and keen to seal the win, Axel Disasi made it 3-0 when he scored having latched onto a headed flick on by Embolo.
Managing the game easily and making some changes ahead of the tough clash with Montpellier on the weekend, Trabzonspor shrewdly made the most of a small lapse by Clement’s men, with Anastasios Bakasetas pegging a goal one back for the away side around 20 minutes from time.
Despite Monaco producing a few promising openings in the closing stages that were ultimately unsuccessful, the game eventually ended 3-1 in favour of the hosts.
Clement’s Debrief
“I don’t think we can say that the red changed the match, because we started the game well. We established a good tempo with the desire to score quickly, like against Nantes. Playing 11v10 isn’t always easy though. Managing this type of match remains difficult and some teams can lose points for lack of seriousness,” he explained.
“Tonight, my team remained serious, mature, and found spaces to score goals and create chances. I am nevertheless disappointed by the goal conceded but it can happen. In the end, I am very happy with the performance of my players. It was also important to give minutes to those who didn’t start. It’s a good evening for everyone.”
Key stats
By the numbers, the fact Monaco held the upper hand in terms of expected goals (2.98 to 0.31), possession (57% to 43%), shots (23 to 6) and shots inside the box (12 to 2) demonstrated how effectively they used their superiority.
Special mention must also go to man of the match Embolo, who led the line with aplomb alongside Ben Yedder, in a game where he bagged two assists, created four chances, unleashed three shots and generally ran his foes ragged with his intelligent movement and physicality.
Up next
Next up for Monaco is a challenging away day against 10th placed Montpellier, where Les Monegasques will be hoping to extend their winning streak in Ligue 1 to five matches.