A first win on the road!
Against a Nantes team still undefeated without having conceded a goal home, the Red and Whites knew from the start that they would have to be effective in this meeting. They were the first to come across as dangerous on a slim opening made by Slimani for Dias. Freed on the left the Portuguese crossed for Ben Yedder, whose header lacked the power to worry Lafont. We had only played for five minutes and the response from Nantes was not long in coming. After a first clearance by Glik, Lecomte intervened at the feet of Coulibaly (9th). The Nantes striker had another chance on a quarter of an hour of play getting in behind Badiashile. He presented himself in the area and tried to lob Lecomte, who had come out to meet him. Fortunately for AS Monaco Coulibaly badly misfired, his shot sailing over the goal.
The brilliance of Ben Yedder
Supported by nearly 500 fans, the Red and Whites came into the match from that point and found the breakthrough on a magnificent action in the 22nd minute. Gil Dias was racing along the line ahead of Slimani, who picked him out and had a nice interplay witg Golovin. The Russian international saw Ben Yedder’s run on his right and played him in with a deep ball. Pursued by Fabio and Pallois, the Monegasque striker turned the first with to the outside, before beating the second to get into shooting position and shoot a ferocious shot that went under the bar. From end to end, this collective action impressed, the score the perfect result! Taken off his feet by Ben Yedder’s feint, poor Fabio had to leave the field, having suffered a dislocated knee.
Lecomte impresses in front of Coulibaly
Author of his 9th goal of the season, the Monegasque striker was the first opponent to find the net in La Beaujoire since the beginning of the season. But hardly had the game resumed then Nantes were close an equalizer, with a free header by Simon off-target close to the Monegasque goal (26th). The match resumed and Ben Yedder broke free on the next bit of action to score the second Monegasque goal, hoping to spring the offside trap. A bit too much according to the assistant referee who had raised his flag, a decision confirmed by the VAR if only by a bit of his boot. The pace was slowing in the last fifteen minutes of the first period, but it took a big save from Lecomte to push away a header at close range from Coulibaly just before the break.
Ben Yedder misses his double
On the return from the locker room the pressure was ratcheted up by Nantes. Coulibaly, played in by Simon in the 51st, had a dipping shot that hit the left post of Lecomte. AS Monaco weathered the storm and scored a second goal in the 61st minute by the inevitable Ben Yedder, perfectly picked out by Dias. But it was denied for an offside on Slimani at the beginning of a play that had already seen a first shot by Ben Yedder saved by Lafont. With the help of the VAR, Mr. Leonard was slow to make up his mind, but he finally denied the Monaco striker a double.
A win and a clean sheet
AS Monaco were back on the attack with Bakayoko who freed Gelson on the right. The strong shot of the Portuguese international was turned away Lafont (66th). The Red and Whitse then managed the match, without unduly suffering from the assaults by Nantes. There was still a moment of which to be scared at the very end of the game, when Youhan faced Lecomte in the box. But as in the first half, the Monegasque goalkeeper was decisive and allowed his team to retain their advantage. Indeed, it was a precious goal that brought this first success away from home that had been much desired. A victory and a clean sheet, a double pleasure for a squad that is now ready for its next meeting against OM in the Coupe de la Ligue.
🔚 La première victoire à l’extérieur de la saison qui fait du bien !!!!
Les 🔴⚪️ remontent provisoirement à la 8e place du classement 📈
⚽️ Ben Yedder (22′)
0⃣-1⃣ #FCNASM pic.twitter.com/G6xQhgEego
— AS Monaco 🇲🇨 (@AS_Monaco) October 25, 2019
