Ligue 1: AS Monaco left frustrated with draw vs. Troyes
© AS Monaco
In a drama-filled match, AS Monaco ultimately were forced to settle for a draw when Troyes scored at the death to ensure the game ended 2-2 after ASM had gone ahead through a late brace from Wissam Ben Yedder.
The Match
Desperate to get back to winning ways after suffering two devastating defeats to Bayer Leverkusen and OGC Nice, Philippe Clement made a host of changes for this clash vs. Troyes, with Aleksandr Golovin and Caio Henrique most notably returning to the starting line-up.
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Racing out to a fast start, ASM looked to impose themselves on their relegation-threatened opponents immediately, as Golovin came close within the first 10 minutes while Ruben Aguilar also had a decent effort.
Controlling things nicely and looking comfortable, Troyes then took the lead out of nowhere courtesy of a thunderbolt from Rominigue Kouame around the half-hour mark.
Despite Henrique and Kevin Volland enjoying some solid openings before the break, it was Troyes who held a 1-0 advantage into the interval.
While Patrick Kisnorbo’s side almost doubled their lead in the early exchanges of the second stanza, ASM then recalibrated their focus and went about finding a way back into the game.
Cutting an improved outfit, especially after the introductions of Breel Embolo and Ismail Jakobs, Les Monegasques eventually capitalised on their ascendancy, as Ben Yedder scored twice in the space of three minutes to propel ASM into the lead with roughly five minutes remaining.
Just when the away team appeared to have pulled off a remarkable comeback, Ike Ugbo equalised for Troyes with a powerful header to ensure the points were shared, leaving Monaco disappointed and dejected.
Clement’s Debrief
“For me, the first half was insufficient in terms of aggression and duels. We gave Troyes too much space, which allowed them to be dangerous. Overall, we had more opportunities but we lacked efficiency. When I got back from the locker room, I wanted to see another face and I saw it. It was a great reaction from the team. We won a lot more duels and conceded less damaging situations defensively. At the attacking level, we had many opportunities, and it paid off,” he explained.
“We did the hardest part by reversing the result. We were even about to score the 3-1 goal with the hot opportunity of Myron Boadu, who was signalled for offside. On the last Troyes action, the central defenders lacked concentration.
“The end of the match is difficult. You have to be focused for 90 minutes, not just part of the game. We had too many slack periods throughout the game. I talked about it with the players, but what was said in the locker room remains between me and my players.”
Stats tell the story
By the numbers, the fact Monaco bettered their foes in terms of possession (61% to 39%), expected goals (3.09 to 0.85), total shots (17 to 13), shots inside the box (12 to 3), big chances created (4 to 1), passes in the opposition half (293 to 118) and overall duels won (54 to 46) underlined why Clement was so annoyed his team failed to claim all three points.
Up next
Still sitting in third in the standings, Monaco will now recover and regather themselves before the visit of Reims next weekend, where a win is a necessity to rekindle their largely brilliant recent form and to get things back on track in their pursuit of a coveted podium finish come season’s end.