Monaco won a beautiful duel on Friday evening at the Stade Louis-II. “Top 5 of the Champions League” with Brest (3-2), and thus consolidates its place as runner-up to Paris.
This victory, obtained thanks to a double against Maghnes Akliouche and the first goal of the season from Aleksandr Golovin, allows Monaco to calmly prepare for the reception of Benfica Lisbon on Wednesday evening, with a view to ensuring, at least, a qualification for the Champions League play-offs.
But Monaco was manhandled for a long time after the break by a good Breton team, which fought until the end but which conceded a third consecutive defeat in L1, after Nice at home (1-0) and at Montpellier (3- 1).
Eric Roy's men, dominated in the first half in Monaco, reacted well after the break. But it is especially on the accounting level that they can start to worry. With 13 points, they are within reach of Saint-Étienne which hosts Montpellier on Saturday, Nantes and Angers, opposed respectively to Le Havre and Auxerre on Sunday.
Also currently fourth in the C1 league phase with 10 points, the Bretons will therefore not travel in peace on Tuesday evening to the Olympic Stadium of Montjuic, to face the Barcelona ogre. Especially since their playing master, Pierre Lees-Melou, who was injured in the shin in the first half (22nd), left the stadium on crutches.
Roy excluded, Lees-Melou on crutches
Monaco started off against the Bretons. After a low recovery from Thilo Kehrer, Akliouche passed Brendan Chardonnet with a nice dribble in the central circle to launch his sidekick Eliesse Ben Seghir. The Moroccan international then perfectly measured his fourth assist of the season in L1, for the goal of the French international hopeful (1-0, 5th).
Brest playmaker Pierre Lees-Melou surrounded by the Monegasques before his injury to Louis-II, November 22, 2024 / Valery HACHE / AFP
In the process, Akliouche missed the double. Served by Golovin, he hit the post (9th). Before the half hour mark, however, the Russian scored his first goal of the season. The high pressing paid off. The Swiss Edi Fernandes, who had just entered in place of Lees-Melou, passed on Golovin, who did not miss the opportunity (2-0, 24th).
If just before the break, Breel Embolo, still clumsy, missed the ball for 3-0 after a cross from Ben Seghir (45th + 4), it was above all Abdallah Sima, who almost reduced the gap ( 45th+2).
He will just do it soon after. On a corner from the incoming Kamory Doumbia, Sima placed a victorious header (2-1, 50th) and electrified the debates which were finally balanced.
If Roy was excluded for having contested too vehemently a decision by referee Thomas Léonard (67th), he pushed his men to go for the equalizer. They tried everything.
Moreover, if Akliouche scored his fifth goal in L1 with a magnificent dive on another perfect counterattack (3-1, 90th + 1), Ludovic Ajorque showed the Brest state of mind and this desire to fight , by scoring a new goal (3-2, 90th+5). But it was too late.
