AS Monaco get off on the right foot
At the start of this 23rd matchday, just one point separated Angers (12th) from AS Monaco (13th). In the reverse fixture, the two teams played out a draw (0-0) at Stade Raymond-Kopa. Dominant from the start of the match, AS Monaco monopolized the ball, but struggled against an opponent playing a low block, as well as their own efforts to limit the play of Alioui and Thioub. After a first quarter of an hour of play without a chance for either side, Fofana tried his luck from distance in the 16th minute, forcing Petkovic into a double save.
Fofana doesn’t let up
Already with an assist in his first match in Nîmes last Saturday, Fofana was at it again a few moments later. Jovetic had made a good run in behind the defence, and was found with a long ball, allowing the Montenegrin to instinctively deliver a cushioned header to surprise Petkovic. Already having scored against Strasbourg, Jovetic recorded a second consecutive goal at Stade Louis-II, also his second of the season in Ligue 1. While the centre back pairing of Glik and Maripan was intractable in the first half, Capelle did force Lecomte into a fine save just before the break (45th).
Tchouaméni makes his debut at Stade Louis-II
Upon returning from the locker room, the intensity of the duels increased and Traoré was booked for a big foul on the ubiquitous Fofana. Robert Moreno then chose to bring on Tchouaméni in place of Fàbregas, while Angers were pressing more through Capelle and Santamaria, whose shots passed a few centimeters from the right post of Lecomte. Strong and well organized defensively, the Red and Whites tried to take advantage of the spaces available to them in the last minutes of the match.
The 6th clean sheet of the season
The Angevin defense was on the verge of breaking when Ben Yedder managed to dribble past three opponents in the 84th minute, forcing Pavlovic to commit a heavy foul. The Angevin defender barely avoided being sent off while Baldé, who had come on a few moments earlier, made a good defensive intervention on Thioub in the last minutes. The score did not change; AS Monaco managed to win 1-0 and moved up to 9th place in the league before the final matches of this 23rd matchday in Ligue 1 Conforama. The next match is Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Stade de la Licorne against Amiens SC (D24).
