Ligue 1: Dominant AS Monaco sweep aside Auxerre
AS Monaco made a scintillating return to action following the international break by empathically defeating AJ Auxerre 0-3 on the road in front of 1000 of their travelling fans.
The Match
Wanting to return to winning ways after their draw with RC Lens last time out, Adi Hutter selected a quality side that notably included Aleksandr Golovin and Caio Henrique for their first starts of the season, plus Lamine Camara, who returned from suspension.
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Getting off to a perfect opening, Les Monegasques took an early lead through Thilo Kehrer’s thumping header that proved too hot to handle for AJA keeper Donovan Leon.
Eager to maintain their momentum, it wasn’t long before Monaco doubled their advantage when Vanderson expertly found the back of the net after a sublime pass from Denis Zakaria in the 25th minute.
While they came close to bagging another before the interval, Les Rouge et Blanc were still left content with their strong first half.
Making the most of the break to refresh and refocus, there was much to admire about how Hutter’s men began the second stanza positively as well, with Eliesse Ben Seghir launching a dangerous effort.
Determined to sustain the pressure on their adversaries, Golovin and Breel Embolo were next to try their luck, but both just failed with their attempts.
Recognising the need to manage the squad and inject some fresh legs, the introduction of Takumi Minamino, George Ilenikhena and Folarin Balogun did just that. Giving ASM some nice offensive impetus and ensuring Auxerre were under constant danger, these changes worked wonderfully.
In control and rarely troubled, it was terrific to see Monaco reward themselves for their excellent performance by grabbing a third at the death courtesy of Zakaria to make it 0-3.
Hutter’s Debrief
“First of all, I think we deserved to win this match because we were the better team. I also want to congratulate Auxerre who fought until the end trying to score a goal. We defended perfectly as a team and created a lot of chances. This victory is very important and it was achieved impressively,” reflected the Austrian tactician.
“We know we have a lot of quality in the team and we showed it tonight. The only slightly negative point is the lack of efficiency on big chances. We will have to improve in this area, but it is a very good victory for us.”
Key Stats
By the numbers, the fact ASM held the ascendancy in terms of expected goals (3.49 to 0.56), total shots (19 to 13), shots on target (9 to 3), shots inside the box (17 to 4), possession (59% to 41%), touches inside the box (33 to 15) and overall duels won (74 to 48) further underlined their supremacy.
Barcelona Awaits
Up next for ASM is their mouthwatering Champions League clash with Barcelona at home, where they’ll be looking for a repeat of their eye-catching triumph from the Joan Gamper Trophy in pre-season.
Although this will be easier said than done, they’ll be doing everything in their power to kick-off their European adventure in style. The Auxerre win, which featured some sensational attacking play and a vital clean sheet, will serve as an ideal precursor for the massive challenge that lies ahead.
