Ligue 1: Thrilling late flurry powers AS Monaco to victory over Strasbourg
Despite being behind 1-0 heading into the final 12 minutes, AS Monaco produced some sensational heroics to score three late goals to secure a memorable 1-3 victory over RC Strasbourg.
The Match
Making just two changes from the team that defeated Bologna, Adi Hutter opted to hand starts to Takumi Minamino and Caio Henrique for this key clash.
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Having not won their last three Ligue 1 matches, ASM made a brisk start and almost hit the front through Breel Embolo’s early header in their quest to get back to winning ways.
Strasbourg then responded, as Dilane Bakwa and Sekou Mara enjoyed decent efforts. A golden chance fell to Embolo shortly after, but the Swiss star was denied by Djordje Petrovic, who rose to the occasion to make a crucial 1v1 save.
Monaco was frustratingly punished for this miss, for Guela Doue propelled Liam Rosenior’s team into the lead just prior to the half-hour mark.
The end of the half saw a flurry of chances, with Maghnes Akliouche and Vanderson not far off for Monaco while Bakwa came close following a Lamine Camara error.
Down at the break and needing an inspired second stanza, Hutter boldly made two changes at the interval by bringing on Christian Mawissa and George Ilenikhena.
While Doue wasn’t far away from doubling Strasbourg’s advantage, Les Monegasques gained some impetus when Vanderson and Camara unleashed some solid attempts.
The Eliesse Ben Seghir show came to the fore, as the phenom earned a penalty before duly converting it to put his team back on level terms.
With a grandstand finish ahead, there was no denying Ben Seghir, for he kept his cool to give his team the lead in the 89th minute with his classy finish, before Ilenikhena added a third in stoppage-time to cap off what was a thrilling comeback by the visitors.
Hutter’s Debrief
“It wasn’t a good first half, we could have done better, that’s for sure. It’s a great victory and three very important points for us, after two defeats in a row in the league. I also want to salute Strasbourg for their performance. But when we came out on the pitch in the second half, I was really impressed with my team and what we showed. Both teams have a lot of young talent in their squads, which is fun to watch, but ultimately we deserved the win today,” explained the Austrian tactician.
“Sometimes we have to accept criticism, like when we played Angers with a brand of football that wasn’t ours. I remain very happy and proud of my team for what they did tonight, especially in the second half. This is the direction we want to go in, we want to develop our young players. It’s November, sometimes we struggle because we can’t win every game, even if that’s our primary desire. After two defeats, I liked this reaction today and it makes me very happy.”
Key Stats
By the numbers, the fact ASM held the ascendancy in terms of expected goals (3.72 to 0.79), total shots (19 to 5), big chances created (5 to 2), shots on target (8 to 2), shots inside the box (12 to 3), touches in the opposition box (27 to 12), passes in the opposition half (219 to 88) and overall duels won (49 to 48) illustrated they were deserving winners.
Momentum Gained
Having tasted success both in Europe and domestically, Monaco now heads to the international break with plenty of positive momentum, which they’ll be hoping to carry into their big matches with Brest and Benfica when the action returns.
