Champions League: AS Monaco snatch late leveller against Dinamo Zagreb
© AS Monaco
Denis Zakaria’s late equaliser ensured AS Monaco secured a 2-2 draw in their Champions League clash with Dinamo Zagreb to maintain their unbeaten start to the new season.
The Match
Deploying his team in a 4-2-3-1 for this encounter in the torrential rain, Adi Hutter was looking to make it two wins from two in the UCL after their smashing triumph vs. Barcelona.
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To start with, both teams traded chances from the off, as the likes of Martin Baturina, Bruno Petkovic and Takumi Minamino unleashed decent attempts.
With the conditions deteriorating more and more as the match progressed, this saw the players struggle and the quality of the game suffer.
The home team handled it better for large chunks of the opening half, however, with them going on to take the lead just prior to the interval through Petar Sucic.
To kick-off the second stanza, it was more of the same, as the two outfits were forced to continue battling the weather and horrible pitch surface.
Baturina then doubled Zabgreb’s advantage in the 66th minute with a superb solo effort to seemingly place them in an unassailable position.
But, to their credit, ASM never gave up and kept fighting, pushing for an avenue to produce a comeback. They were eventually rewarded for their efforts when Mohammed Salisu powered his header home to set up a grandstand finale.
And that it was, as Zakaria coolly slotted a penalty at the death, that was won by Folarin Balogun, to rescue a crucial point for Les Monegasques.
Hutter’s Debrief
“To be honest, in the end, it’s a good point for us. I want to salute the mentality of my players who didn’t give up while playing in difficult conditions. I can’t say that I’m happy, but after being two goals down, I have to say that I’m satisfied to get a draw, even if we wanted the victory,” Hutter reflected.
“These are special circumstances, but everyone knew about it. This is football and this is nature. The conditions were the same for both teams, it was really not easy to play. But I want to congratulate Zagreb again who despite everything managed to develop a good style of play today. They were very compact at the back with this five-man defence and played very well in transitions.”
Key Stats
By the numbers, the fact ASM held the ascendancy in terms of expected goals (1.97 to 0.99), possession (62% to 38%), total shots (9 to 7), shots on target (5 to 3), shots inside the box (8 to 5), big chances created (4 to 1), passes in the opposition half (230 to 125) and touches in the opposition box (28 to 26) showed they were definitely deserving of a point.
Up Next
Monaco now shift their focus back to Ligue 1, where a tough fixture with Stade Rennais awaits, in a match they’ll be eager to reign supreme in to head to the international break in style.