Ligue 1 Uber Eats 12 November 2023, 00:55

Thanks to a heroic Philipp Köhn, AS Monaco snatch a draw in Le Havre!

Unsettled by a good Le Havre team which had great chances and a penalty in its favor in the match's final seconds, the Rouge et Blanc left Normandy with a draw, thanks to their Swiss goalkeeper, who was imperious (0-0).

It was (very) tense. Under pressure from the start of the match by a very enterprising Le Havre team on the counterattack, the AS Monaco players were only able to obtain a draw at the Stade Océane, thanks to a superb save from Philipp Köhn to keep out a last-minute penalty (0-0). ✍️

The context 📅

Just before the international break, the Rouge et Blanc wanted to build on a hard-fought win against Brest last weekend (2-0), to stay firmly on the podium. It would not be an easy task against a promoted Le Havre side but has had a surprising to the season, and sat 7th before this 12th round. Our Monégasques would have to be wary, warned Adi Hütter in the pre-match press conference.

They are seventh and have not lost in eight matches since the start of the season. This is a solid team, which is strong in transition, with in particular Nabil Alioui up front, who was also trained in Monaco.

Adi HütterOn Le Havre

The eleven 👥

To try to bring back the three points hoped for by Youssouf Fofana, the Monegasque coach decided to again deploy his 3-4-2-1 with two number 10s. As they had lined up against Brest, the Akliouche-Golovin duo therefore started in support of Wissam Ben Yedder. For the rest of the team, there were no notable changes.

The scenario 🎞

The kick-off was made in front of a Monegasque away end filled for the third time in a row, populated by more than 900 red and white fans. There was soon a little scare from the hosts as Loïc Nego turned inside very early to the right before letting fly with a shot across goal, which Philipp Köhn got to perfectly (6′). AS Monaco tried to respond from set pieces, but the Normans held on and tried to attack on the counterattack.

Le parcage se remplit 😍

‣ #HACASM pic.twitter.com/0owDuXbxhg

— AS Monaco 🇲🇨 (@AS_Monaco) November 11, 2023

Zakaria is dangerous, but Desmas makes a big save

Denis Zakaria still managed to get off a shot, unfortunately it was well off target (25′). It was then Ismail Jakobs who proves dangerous on a serve behind his captain, but Arthur Desmas kept it out (28th). There was equally a lack of success for Youssouf Fofana (29th), and his Swiss teammate, who got on the end of a strong cross from Krépin Diatta but the Norman goalkeeper intervened with an incredible reflex save (31′). At the other end, Nabil Alioui was close to playing a bad trick on his training club (41′).

Decisive goalkeepers!

But halftime came with neither team having found the net. Adi Hütter’s men started the second half with good intentions, even if the Senegalese wingback had to cede his place on the pitch. And it was Denis Zakaria who stood out again with a volley from distance, which just missed finding the Le Havre goal (48′). Shortly thereafter, Philipp Köhn stood strong against Antoine Joujou (50′), and then did well to anticipate a chipped ball by Nabil Alioui (52′).

Diop is (almost) decisive in both penalty areas

The attacker trained at the Academy then was denied by a furious defensive tackle from Guillermo Maripán, who blocked him at the last minute (57′). The battled was raging in the heart of midfield and the clock was ticking, and it was time for coaching changes from both sides. The last minutes of the match were tense, and Edan Diop was very close to finding the target on this shot which brushed the post (86′). But the hosts’ defense held on, and in the very last seconds, Le Havre won a penalty. Terrible…

Penalty pour le Havre.

90+6' | 0⃣-0⃣ #HACASM

— AS Monaco 🇲🇨 (@AS_Monaco) November 11, 2023

Köhn makes the difference on a penalty!

The Normans had a chance to win the match at the very end, but Philipp Köhn made a magnificent save on a strike by the former Monegasque Samuel Grandsir. The Rouge et Blanc goalkeeper thus helped his team earn a point in a draw, before the international break. The team will be back in action in two weeks at the Parc des Princes now, in their clash against PSG.

Key moments 🎥

6′: A shot across goal by Nego is stopped by a firm hand from Köhn
28′: A cutback from Ben Yedder for Jakobs, who sees his effort kept out by Desmas
31′: Strong cross from Diatta for Zakaria who deflects the ball on goal, only to be denied by Desmas
41′: Alioui’s strike blocked by Maripán
48′: Volley with the outside of the foot by Zakaria from 25 meters is just over the bar
50′: Joujou attempt from 20 meters is captured by Köhn
52′: Alioui’s chipped ball is well anticipated by Köhn
62′: Touré’s shot from range is captured by Köhn
86′: An overhit cross from Diop brushes the post
94′: A pass from Golovin finds Balogun who comes up short against Desmas
97′: Penalty won by Le Havre
100′: Grandsir’s effort is stopped by Köhn!

📋 Match details:

Saturday, November 11 – Stade Océane

Ligue 1 – Matchday 12: Le Havre 0-0 AS Monaco

Halftime: 0-0

Bookings: Bayo (10′) and Touré (68′) for Le Havre ; Zakaria (21′), Diop (97′) and Fofana (99′) for AS Monaco

Le Havre: Desmas – Youte, Sangante ©, Lloris – Nego, Kuziaev, Touré (Ndiaye, 81′), Casimir – Alioui (Grandsir, 72′), Bayo, Joujou (Sabbi, 72′)

Substitutes: Gorgelin, El Hajjam, Salmier, Kechta, Mbemba, Ndiaye, Grandsir, Logbo, Sabbi

Manager: Luka Elsner

AS Monaco: Köhn – Singo, Maripán, Magassa – Diatta (Diop, 46′), Fofana, Zakaria, Jakobs – Akliouche (Minamino, 66′), Golovin – Ben Yedder © (Balogun, 73′)

Substitutes: Majecki, Matsima, Ouattara, Vanderson, Camara, Diop, Matazo, Minamino, Balogun

Manager: Adi Hütter