Ligue 1: AS Monaco defeated by clinical Reims at home
AS Monaco suffered their fifth league defeat of the season by losing 1-3 at home to Reims, as Les Monegasques failed to close the gap to Paris Saint-Germain and OGC Nice on the table.
The Match
Seeing as Adi Hutter was missing a host of important players predominantly due to AFCON and the Asian Cup (just as Reims were), his team selection was quite similar to last weekend, with key men Philipp Kohn and Aleksandr Golovin notably coming into the starting line-up.
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With the game getting off to a slow start while both teams settled into proceedings, quality chances were few and far between in the opening half-hour. But Reims sprung to life on 35 minutes by taking the lead through Teddy Teuma’s thunderous shot to ensure Will Still’s men led at the break.
Bringing on Folarin Balogun at half-time, Hutter was eager for his team to start the second stanza on the front foot in their quest to back on level terms. And that they did, when Wissam Ben Yedder found the back of the net with a smart header.
Monaco’s momentum was short lived, however, for Reda Khadra powered Reims back ahead just minutes later with a brilliant goal. Reims then almost doubled their advantage, but Kohn was on hand to apply a fine stop to keep his side in the match.
Despite ASM trying to find an avenue back into the clash and bringing on Myron Boadu, they just couldn’t bulge the back of the net even though the likes of Youssouf Fofana, Golovin and Balogun fired off some decent attempts.
Reims’ late strike from Azor Matusiwa then ended any chances Monaco had of grabbing a point, as they ran out 1-3 victors to move into fifth in the standings.
Hutter’s Debrief
“First of all, I think it’s AS Monaco’s worst match since I arrived at the club. Everyone was obviously very upset in the locker room after the match. We are also very disappointed for our supporters, who deserved better. We must learn from this defeat. Maybe it’s better that it arrives now rather than in a few weeks. We have to accept it and learn from it, but I can’t take anything positive from tonight,” a frustrated Hutter explained.
“It’s a defeat that comes after our cup qualification in Lens to remind us that every victory is earned and won through a big fight. With this kind of performance, we cannot hope to reach the top three at the end of the season. I am responsible for this team, and I did not expect this match after our performance in the Coupe de France, which was completely different. When you’re AS Monaco, you can’t lose like that.”
Key Stats
By the numbers, the fact ASM held the ascendancy in terms of possession (57% to 43%), shots inside the box (6 to 5), passes in the opposition half (226 to 145), total accurate passes (439 to 303) and accurate crosses (5 to 0) illustrated it just wasn’t their day.
Cup Action Awaits
Up next for ASM is a Coupe de France match against Rodez, where they’ll be fully focused on getting back on the winners list to put this disappointing result behind them.
“I am angry after this defeat. In any case, it may be important for the future, in order to change things. I also have to be self-critical. I have over 1000 matches as a player and coach, and I know these kinds of matches can happen. It’s up to us to react,” concluded the Austrian tactician.