Matthis Abline: "We need to move on quickly and put things right on Thursday"

He would certainly have preferred a different result to celebrate his magnificent goal. Having produced a superb piece of skill to double the lead and open his account in his new colours, Matthis Abline was understandably disappointed after AS Monaco were held to a frustrating 2-2 draw against Toulouse. The Monaco forward spoke to the media in the mixed zone with that very feeling. Here are the highlights.

Good evening, Matthis. You scored a superb goal, but it wasn’t enough to secure the win. How do you feel?

We’re frustrated today because we lost concentration badly at the start of the second half. We know how important the opening stages of a match and each half are, so we can’t come back out like that when we’re 2-0 up, especially after doing some good things. We need to keep working and look at what we were missing so that we can make the best possible start against CSKA Sofia.

Do you think the goal you scored tonight was even better than the one against Paris FC last season?

I’m really happy to have scored tonight. I’d put the two goals on the same level, but there’s no doubt that scoring like that is a great moment, especially as it was my son’s birthday tonight. I’m an instinctive player and I like trying the odd outrageous piece of skill, which is why I sometimes go for that kind of thing. Unfortunately, I’d have preferred not to score and to come away with the win.

Do you feel more relieved now that you’ve scored your first goal, or were you never worried?

No, I really wasn’t worried. As I said at yesterday’s press conference, you have to create chances and try things, and today one went in. But I’ll say it again: that’s not the most important thing, because we all wanted to win this match.

How do you explain the drop in performance at the start of the second half?

I think the whole team lost concentration. At half-time, we’d said how important it was to come back out well and stay focused. Unfortunately, we conceded two goals in quick succession, which put us on the back foot. Toulouse then sat very deep in a compact defensive block. There isn’t much more to explain: we need to keep working and analyse the videos. We have to move on quickly because we have a chance to put things right as soon as Thursday.