Ligue 1: AS Monaco suffer frustrating defeat against Lille
AS Monaco suffered another disappointing defeat in a match where mistakes proved costly again, as they fell to Lille 2-1 at the Stade Pierre-Mauroy.
The Match
Having won three of their last four Ligue 1 games heading into this clash and wanting to bounce back after their devastating Champions League elimination, Adi Hutter selected a strong outfit that notably saw Denis Zakaria return to the starting line-up.
Advertising
Inside a sold out Stade Pierre-Mauroy, which contained more than 700 Monaco supporters, the match began in a lively manner.
It must be said, however, that Lille enjoyed the better of the early running, and they duly capitalised on their polished opening to take the lead through Hakon Haraldsson’s terrific finish.
Eliesse Ben Seghir tried to get his team back into the game, but sadly missed from close range to ensure the score remained the same.
Following yet another error by Monaco, Lille doubled their advantage courtesy of Haraldsson, who coolly converted his brace in the 42nd minute.
Les Monegasques ended the half on a positive note, though, levelling the ledger via Takumi Minamino, as he applied the finishing touch to a crisp move that included a wonderful backheel assist by Mika Biereth.
Down 2-1 and desperate to make further strides in the second stanza, their first quality opening arose just beyond the hour mark when Wilfried Singo came close with a powerful headed attempt.
A triple substitution came from Hutter, as he brought on Caio Henrique, Breel Embolo and George Ilenikhena in his quest to salvage something from this crunch fixture.
Despite their best efforts to mount a comeback and the likes of Moatasem Al-Musrati, Ilenikhena and Minamino firing off promising shots, they just couldn’t breach the Chevalier-inspired Lille rearguard.
This latest disheartening loss sees ASM slip to fifth in the standings while Lille elevates themselves into third.
Hutter’s Debrief
“It’s a difficult defeat because Lille are direct competitors for qualification to the Champions League next season. Being led 2-0 here is always complicated to come back from, but I saw a team that fought until the end. We had opportunities, mainly in the first half, with Mika Biereth and Eliesse Ben Seghir. There was also a penalty on Takumi Minamino at the start of the match,” reflected the 55-year-old manager.
“The result is not good, that’s for sure, and we weren’t decisive enough in both areas. But I think our football is better today than a few weeks ago. So that makes me positive even if the defeat is necessarily difficult to accept at this moment.”
Key Stats
By the numbers, the fact ASM held the ascendancy in terms of expected goals (2.36 to 1.16), total shots (13 to 9), big chances created (5 to 1), shots inside the box (9 to 7), passes in the opposition half (278 to 168) and touches in the opposition box (26 to 18) illustrated why the Principality club were so frustrated to not take anything from this one.
Up Next
Having endured a tough last few days, Hutter and his coaching staff will be doing all they can to restore the team’s confidence and recalibrate their focus ahead of their crucial clash with Reims under the lights at the Stade Louis II next Friday.