A prestigious win to kick off the training camp in England. Having arrived across the Channel the day before, the AS Monaco players showed courage and character to defeat Liverpool at the legendary Anfield stadium in their fifth pre-season match (2-3). A stunning comeback victory secured in the presence of President Dmitry Rybolovlev. Match report ✍️
To face a Reds side that finished 5th in the Premier League last season but won the title the year before, manager Filipe Luís opted for continuity, fielding the same starting XI as against Getafe at the Stade Louis-II. The four summer signings, Flávio Nazinho, Sadibou Sané, Mathys Detourbet and Matthis Abline, were therefore handed starts in the legendary setting of Anfield.
A frantic start to the match 🌪️
There was no feeling-out process in a typically "English" opening, with an early Monaco chance inside the first minute from Mika Biereth, who narrowly missed beating Alisson at the near post. The Reds then dominated possession, forcing Lukáš Hradecký to shine on his line on several occasions. The Finnish shot-stopper produced a fine save to deny Florian Wirtz's crisp strike from the edge of the box (7'), before tipping a Cody Gakpo header over the crossbar (9').
Liverpool make the difference in transition 🥵
Unfortunately, Andoni Iraola's men eventually opened the scoring following a superb four-man move, which Alexander Isak finished from close range (1-0, 16'). The Rouge et Blanc attempted to push forward in spells, and Matthis Abline tried his luck from a tight angle, only to be denied by Alisson (18'). Sadly, Liverpool proved dangerous in transition. Following unsuccessful attempts from Koumas (23' and 30') and Wirtz (24'), the German playmaker bundled the ball home after a scramble in the six-yard box (2-0, 29').
Golo's precision gets Monaco back in the game 🎯
A response began to take shape, but Monaco's new number 39 failed to find the target from distance (32'). No matter, AS Monaco grew into the game in the final fifteen minutes of the half. Shortly after a powerful strike from Tsimikas (39'), Aleksandr Golovin reduced the deficit by winning and converting a penalty himself (2-1, 44')! The half-time whistle blew with Monaco trailing by a single goal, despite one last chance for the Reds via a Van Dijk header (45+1').
Mikagoal draws Monaco level ⚽
The second half naturally saw numerous substitutions for both sides. However, during a strong spell for Monaco, Mika Biereth, well set up by his strike partner, managed to equalize at the second attempt amidst three opponents (2-2, 56')! It was a well-deserved equalizer for the Rouge et Blanc, who were showing much better form and came incredibly close to grabbing a third goal. First through Mamadou Coulibaly from an excellent Flávio Nazinho cross (70'), and then through Oumar Konaté following a clever pass from Golo' (73').
A prestigious win at the death 🔥
Even with a much younger lineup on the pitch (following the introductions of Benzahra, Soubeir, Konaté, and Brunner in particular), the Principality club continued to push forward and dictate the play. Following two earlier attempts from Coulibaly (80') and Konaté (83'), Paris Brunner headed home the winner for his side from a superb corner delivered by Anis Soubeir (2-3, 88')!
A superb near-post finish brought the German striker his fifth goal of the pre-season, sealing a prestigious victory for AS Monaco against Liverpool at Anfield to kick off their training camp. DAGHE MUNEGU! 🇲🇨
🗓️ Match details: Sunday 9 August 2026 (15:30) - Anfield Road
Friendly: Liverpool FC 2-3 AS Monaco
Half-time: 2-1
Goals: Isak (16') and Wirtz (29') for Liverpool; Golovin (44' pen), Biereth (56') and Brunner (88') for AS Monaco
Yellow card: Konaté (90') for AS Monaco
Liverpool: Alisson (Mamardashvili, 46') - Frimpong (Ramsay, 75'), Ndukwe (Endo, 46'), Van Dijk © (Chambers, 59'), Tsimikas (Kerkez, 59') - Szoboszlai (Elliott, 75'), Gravenberch (Nyoni, 59') - Gakpo (Ngumoha, 59'), Wirtz (McConnell, 59'), Koumas (Chiesa, 75') - Isak (Munoz, 59')
Substitutes: Mamardashvili, Endo, Kerkez, Chiesa, Elliott, Munoz, Nyoni, Chambers, Ramsay, McConnell, Morrison, Ngumoha
Manager: Andoni Iraola
AS Monaco: Hradecký - Vanderson (Teze, 46'), Sané, Dier © (Kehrer, 75'), Nazinho (Mawissa, 75') - Detourbet (Coulibaly, 64'), Cabral (Soubeir, 75'), Camara (Benzahra, 63'), Golovin - Abline (Konaté, 63'), Biereth (Brunner, 80')
Substitutes: Köhn, Lienard, Teze, Kehrer, Mawissa, Coulibaly, Brunner, Assab, Konaté, Touré, Benzahra, Soubeir
Manager: Filipe Luís
