Ligue 1: Anguish for AS Monaco as Toulouse snatch late draw
Despite racing to an early lead through Takumi Minamino, AS Monaco were ultimately forced to settle for a 1-1 draw with Toulouse due to Frank Magri’s crushing stoppage-time leveller following a defensive mix-up.
The Match
Selecting the same side that defeated Reims last weekend, Adi Hutter was hoping this continuity would prove to be the recipe for success once again.
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And things started extremely positively for Les Monegasques, as Mika Biereth appeared to have scored within 10 minutes, only for his effort to be ruled out for offside.
Monaco didn’t have to wait long until taking the lead, however, for Minamino powered them ahead shortly after with a slick finish to claim his third goal in his last four matches. A brilliant way indeed to celebrate his contract extension.
3⃣ buts sur les 4 derniers matchs de @Ligue1 pour @takumina0116 ✊
— AS Monaco 🇲🇨 (@AS_Monaco) March 7, 2025
23' | 0⃣-1⃣ #TFCASM pic.twitter.com/cOeSG1krKd
Monaco kept on the hunt to extend their advantage, with Biereth and Lamine Camara coming close. Maghnes Akliouche also continued to be a massive danger with his creativity and technical wizardry.
While the end of the first 45 saw no goals, Monaco remained on top to end a dominant opening half in front.
They kicked off the second stanza by controlling possession and looking the more likely to score, on a night where all the signs were positive a strong triumph was on the cards.
Although Toulouse gradually started to pose more of a threat, they struggled to complete their moves. Magri wasn’t far off, though, with a header that Radoslaw Majecki dealt with comfortably.
The final 20 minutes saw decent chances fall to Biereth, Camara and Wilfried Singo (the latter hitting the post), but none were able to find the back of the net.
Disaster struck late for ASM, just when they appeared destined to record their first Ligue 1 away win since November 9th, as a mix-up between Thilo Kehrer and Majecki allowed Magri to score.
Majecki redeemed himself moments later with a world-class save to deny Toulouse all three points, but this draw is a brutal setback for Monaco in the race for a top-three spot.
Hutter’s Debrief
“We dominated the first half and deserved to lead by two goals at half-time. We had respect for Toulouse, who are having a good season, and who were playing at home. We then had fewer solutions in the second half and showed more disparities,” lamented the Austrian manager.
“But before, we had missed too many chances and it is impossible to concede a goal like that at the end – at this point in the season. It would have been an important victory, and it would have been good for us to leave with the three points. It is very frustrating and to only take one point is a big disappointment. We deserved to take the three points, of course, but congratulations to Toulouse who fought until the end. We are guilty of this result by not having managed to score a second or even a third goal. We know that in football, if you don’t make the break, you can be punished. And that’s what happened by conceding an avoidable goal. I repeat, it is impossible to concede this equaliser like that.”
Key Stats
By the numbers, the fact ASM held the ascendancy in terms of expected goals (2.27 to 0.57), total shots (13 to 8), shots inside the box (11 to 6), touches in the opposition box (28 to 17) and overall duels won (53 to 48) illustrated why they were so frustrated to not reign supreme over Les Violets.
Angers Awaits
Having failed to secure back-to-back victories, Monaco’s next challenge is a tough away trip to Angers, where they’ll need to avoid costly mistakes and improve their finishing in their pursuit of a crucial win.