A winning start to pre-season. Under the guidance of new Head Coach Filipe Luís, who took charge from the touchline for the first time, AS Monaco secured victory over Saint-Priest despite making extensive changes at half-time, getting their pre-season campaign off to the perfect start. Dmitry Rybolovlev was also in attendance at the Performance Centre for the match. Match report ✍️
It was a good test. I think friendly matches always give us a direction to follow. They act as a guide, helping us identify important areas and then work on correcting them afterwards. We still need to keep training hard while taking the positives from what we have seen. This type of match is very important for us and has given us an indication of what we need to continue doing.
Filipe Luís, after the match
An excellent start
For this first pre-season fixture, Filipe Luís set his team up in a 3-4-3 formation, with Flávio Nazinho and Mathys Detourbet making their debuts in Monaco colours. Full of attacking intent, the Rouge et Blanc created the best opportunities, first through Pape Cabral, whose effort drifted wide (6'), before Aleksandr Golovin saw his goal ruled out (12').
Two goals in quick succession
Thilo Kehrer (15') and Mika Biereth (22') were next to be denied by Glenn Mbimba. At the other end, Lukáš Hrádecký had to remain alert to keep out a direct free-kick from Sébastien Flochon and prevent Saint-Priest from taking the lead (28'). The opening goal eventually arrived moments later when Eric Dier was left unmarked six yards out to make it 1-0 (32'). Rewarded for their efforts despite the intense heat, the Monégasques quickly doubled their advantage thanks to a superb direct free-kick from Golo' (2-0, 34').
A lightning-quick brace from Brunner
At the break, the Brazilian coach completely changed his starting XI, notably introducing new signings Sadibou Sané and Aymen Assab. But it was Paris Brunner who stole the show with two goals in the space of seconds, first keeping his composure in a one-on-one situation (3-0, 47') before curling a magnificent strike into the far top corner (4-0, 48'). The visitors refused to give up, however, and pulled one back through Ilias Bardet (4-1, 56').
Thanks to training, we are improving physically. It is only the second week and the players are feeling better and better after a long break. We need to give them time to develop, and getting minutes on the pitch helps them regain their rhythm. Playing is different from training and competing. We can see many details that need correcting as we continue improving the team.
Filipe Luís, after the match
A convincing win before facing Sporting
Despite conceding, AS Monaco immediately responded, with Oumar Konaté's cross forcing Steven Séance to turn the ball into his own net (5-1, 60'). The pace of the game then dropped, allowing Saint-Priest to score a second through Tieri Godame (5-2, 78'). Nothing of note followed, and the Club from the Principality sealed victory in its first pre-season fixture. Attention now turns to Sporting CP next Saturday, following another week of training. DAGHE MUNEGU !!! 🇲🇨
🗓️ Match sheet
Saturday 18 July 2026 (10:30) - Performance Centre
Pre-season friendly: AS Monaco 5-2 Saint-Priest
Half-time: 2-0
Goals: Dier (32'), Golovin (34'), Brunner (47', 48'), Séance OG (60') for AS Monaco; Bardet (56'), Godame (78') for Saint-Priest
AS Monaco (first half): Hrádecký - Kehrer, Dier, Mawissa - Coulibaly, Cabral, Bamba, Nazinho - Golovin, Detourbet - Biereth
AS Monaco (second half): Lienard - Mokabakila, Sané, Nibombé, Touré - Pogba, Assab - Konaté, Diop, Michal - Brunner
Substitutes: Lienard, Stawiecki, Drame, Mokabakila, Nibombe, Sané, Touré, Ajroud, Assab, Benzahra, Diop, Pogba, Soubeir, Wamu, Belmokhtar, Brunner, Haddani, Konaté, Michal
Head Coach: Filipe Luís
Saint-Priest: Mbimba - Grippon, Foulon, Flochon, Bouteraa - Nsingi, Maisonnial, Raache, Valtriani - Kingue, Gonzalez
Substitutes: Guette, Bardet, Belhadj, Bruneton, Chapuis, Ghlam, Godame, Haddad, Ndungi, Perret, Séance
Head Coach: Alexis Faivre
See also
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Photos Photos of the Rouge et Blanc hard at work ahead of the test against Sporting LisbonGallery 32 photos -
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Photos Gallery: The Rouge et Blanc's preparations ahead of the first test against Saint-PriestGallery 19 photos -