It was the big match of the round this Sunday at the Parc des Princes. Unfortunately, it did not turn out in favor of the Monegasques, who were beaten (2-0) on the 18th matchday of Ligue 1. For this gala meeting, and in the absence of Kevin Volland (suspended), Niko Kovac opted for a 4-2-3-1 with an attacking midfielder to support Wissam Ben Yedder  up front.

Sofiane Diop hits the post

In front of a crowded and noisy Parc, the Rouge et Blanc attacked hard, hitting the post in the second minute. After a good bit of play with Wissam Ben Yedder in the heart of the penalty area, Sofiane Diop saw his shot crash off the right post of Gianluigi Donnarumma. It was perhaps the turning point of the match, since the Parisians reacted quickly and opened the scoring ten minutes later. Angel Di Maria forced Djibril Sidibé to foul him, drawing a penalty that was converted by Kylian Mbappé (1-0, 12').

A clinical display from Kylian Mbappé

It was a twist of fate which did not slow down theRouge et Blanc, who throw themselves forward and rattled the Parisian defence on several occasions, in particular through Wissam Ben Yedder, who lost out narrowly to Gianluigi Donnarumma in the area (22'), and then Guillermo Maripán, who had a chance following a poor clearance (26').

Unfortunately, a necessary bit of success was not on the Monegasque side during this first half,  despite being very successful in applying themselves to the match, unlike PSG, who would double the lead just before the break on a counter-attack concluded by Mbappé with an unstoppable shot (2-0, 45').

Finish 2021 strong

The tone of the match at the start of the second half was of much the same, with Aleksandr Golovin trying his luck but seeing his attempt blocked by the Parisian goalkeeper (47'). But gradually, the pace dropped and, despite Ismail Jakobs, Jean Lucas, Myron Boadu, Eliot Matazo and Wilson Isidor coming on, the Monegasques failed to reduce the deficit and ended up losing (2- 0), signaling the end of their great run of eight consecutive games without defeat in all competitions.

Wissam Ben Yedder and his teammates will now continue with a  trip to face Red Star next Sunday (13:45) in the Round of 64 of the Coupe de France, then will end the first half of the season with a visit from Rennes, Wednesday the 22nd at the Stade Louis- II (9 p.m.), hoping to conclude what has been a superb 2021 in style.

Match details:

Ligue 1 Uber Eats – Matchday 18

PSG 2-0 AS Monaco

Halftime: 2-0

Goals: Mbappé (12' pen, 45')

Bookings: Mbappé (19'), Gueye (74'), Verratti (89') ; Sidibé (11'), Fofana (17'), Maripán (63'), Gelson Martins (73')

PSG :Donnarumma – Hakimi, Marquinhos, Diallo, Bernat (Kehrer 50') – Gueye (Herrera 80'), Verratti, Wijnaldum – Messi, Mbappé (Icardi 97'), Di Maria (Paredes 80')
Substitutes:Navas, Dagba, Kehrer, Danilo, Paredes, Rafinha, Dina Ebimbe, Herrera, Icardi.
Manager:Mauricio Pochettino
AS Monaco :Nübel – Sidibé, Disasi, Maripán, C.Henrique (Jakobs 46') – Fofana (Jean Lucas 55'), Tchouameni – Diop (Matazo 65'), Golovin, Gelson Martins (Isidor 85') – Ben Yedder (Boadu 55')
Substitutes:Majecki, Aguilar, Jakobs, Matsima, Pavlović, Jean Lucas, Matazo, Boadu, Isidor
Manager:Niko Kovac

See also