Ligue 1: AS Monaco reign triumphant in five-goal thriller against Lens
Knowing this would be a fiercely contested away day vs. Les Sang et Or, Adi Hutter picked an intriguing eleven that notably featured a fearsome attacking quartet of Wissam Ben Yedder, Aleksandr Golovin, Folarin Balogun and Takumi Minamino, while Radoslaw Majecki took his place between the posts.
Beginning the match on the front foot, Balogun, Golovin and Ben Yedder all fired off early sighters to see the visitors rapidly lay down a marker. The USMNT international then ensured ASM had a tangible reward for their fast start when he opened the scoring in the 19th minute with a sublime piece of play.
Looking confident and holding their own against this excellent Lens outfit, it wasn’t long until Monaco doubled their advantage, as Minamino forced a Brice Samba own goal.
Lens immediately halved the deficit courtesy of sharpshooter Elye Wahi, who capitalised on an unlucky touch from Mohammed Salisu.
Getting through to half-time ahead, all was still to play for in what loomed as a massive second stanza. And it was Lens who raced out of the blocks with gusto, which culminated in solid efforts from Adrien Thomasson and David da Costa that Majecki kept out.
The tension continued to ramp up when Lens hit the post and were then denied a penalty before levelling the ledger through Wesley Said, as he slammed home from close range after Majecki smartly saved his first shot.
Les Monegasques were subsequently awarded a penalty of their own, only for Balogun to step up and miss this golden opportunity to claim all three points.
Thankfully for the number 29, a late thunderbolt from Minamino ensured Monaco triumphed at the death in dramatic fashion to cap off a hugely entertaining clash.
Hutter’s Debrief
“It was a hell of a match between two teams who fought a lot. There were two very different halves, we dominated the first and we deserved to be ahead at the break. The second one was tighter, it was incredible. It’s fantastic to come and win here, everyone enjoyed it, even the Lens supporters who must be disappointed. This is a very important victory today,” explained the Austrian tactician.
“I would like to congratulate RC Lens, who had a very good match. Takumi’s goal saved us, it’s very positive for us. It’s always good to win big matches like today in Lens with a very nice atmosphere around. I hope it will give us a lot of confidence, it’s very positive before hosting PSG, the best team in the championship. We will have to show a lot and do better after the last four home games. We will have to be very focused against them.”
Key Stats
By the numbers, despite Lens holding the ascendancy in terms of expected goals (2.96 to 2.26), total shots (20 to 15), shots inside the box (16 to 12) and possession (59% to 41%), the fact Monaco still got over the line illustrated what a quality, character-filled performance they put in.
PSG Awaits
Up next for third-placed Monaco is another monumental match, this time against league leaders Paris Saint-Germain, where they’ll be ready to attack the challenge head-on at home after this latest confidence-boosting victory over Lens.
