Three precious points before the international break! Unbeaten since the start of the 2026-2027 season, the Rouge et Blanc secured another victory against RC Lens on Friday night at the Stade Louis-II, coming out on top in an action-packed encounter (2-1). After delivering a superb assist for Paris Brunner in the first half, Matthis Abline answered questions from the media shortly after the final whistle, alongside his captain, Denis Zakaria. Here is what they had to say 🎙️

Good evening, Matthis. It was important to take all three points tonight...

Yes, of course, it’s a massive win! We showed some great things today and we're coming away with all three points, so we are absolutely thrilled. We struggled a bit in the second half, but we managed to grind out the win by staying solid. We did concede from a set piece due to a slight lapse in concentration, but we responded well.

How do you explain the difference in Monaco's performance between the first and second half?

I don't know... maybe we took our foot off the gas slightly, but we managed to get the win tonight, and that was the most important thing. How far can this Monaco side go? We managed to take the three points and we’re going to fight until the very end. Either way, we’re going to try to go as far as possible. Everyone in the dressing room is hungry—the coach, his staff, and my teammates alike. We are staying focused on what we do best, and we’re going to go out there and get what we want to achieve!

Paris Brunner is unplayable right now and Folarin Balogun is back in the squad, there’s fierce competition up front...

Yes, there is massive competition up top! It pushes us every day and every weekend to be the best we can be. The manager makes his choices, but in any case, we are all pushing each other to improve. I’m incredibly happy for Paris, he’s on fire right now, so we are making the most of it!

The reaction from Denis Zakaria 🇨🇭

Good evening, Denis. We imagine you must be satisfied to see your team remain unbeaten this season...

Absolutely! We’ve had a really good start to the league campaign, but it's only the beginning. Nevertheless, I think we played our poorest game of the season so far tonight... We were sloppy technically, and fatigue played a part too, so this international break comes at a good time and will allow us to recover.

AS Monaco has shown a great ability to react in recent games; is a strong squad starting to take shape?

Definitely! I think we have a strong group, and Filipe Luís is helping us build a strong mentality, so it bodes well for the future. What are the objectives? Like I said, it’s only the start of the season. It's up to us to remain highly professional, work hard, and take it one game at a time.

Can you talk to us about the center-back pairing, which has been so solid since the start of the season?

They are extremely strong! You can see on the pitch that they have a great understanding; they are very reassuring and do a lot of good for the team. It makes it easier for us to play in front of them, knowing that we are rock solid at the back.

Does winning three big games against Lens, Marseille, and Paris give you more confidence going forward?

For sure, when you win, confidence is high! That said, we don’t get carried away. We mainly try to stay focused because we know that every game in Ligue 1 is difficult.

We feel that AS Monaco is more united since the arrival of the new coach...

I think we always have been, but it’s true that Filipe Luís has brought a slightly different dynamic and mentality, and it is doing us a lot of good!

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