ASSE welcomed AS Monaco this Saturday at 9:05 p.m. on behalf of the 32nd day of Ligue 1. at 3 days from the end and still in a relegation position, the Greens no longer had the choice, they had to prevail to hope to be maintained in the elite. Summary of the match.
From the 2nd minute, the Monegasques hit hard: well served by Caio Henrique on the left side, Akliouche opens the scoring at close range after a perfectly adjusted center. Cold, Stéphanois must run after the score. Despite an obvious desire to react and a very high rhythm, the Greens leave many spaces behind their backs, which Balogun and Minamino try to exploit.
The match is chopped by several interruptions, including the successive injuries of Biereth (replaced by Embolo in the 15th) and Minamino, a time affected. This does not prevent Monaco from being dangerous: Larsonneur illustrates in the 29th on a beautiful strike from Akliouche, avoiding the break.
Entering greens but lacking realism
Despite their delay, the men of Eirik Horneland take the game on their own with 60 % possession in the first period. The desire to produce the game is palpable, as on this very beautiful collective action in the 45th+2: Davitashvili serves a background in oil in oil, alone at the penalty point, but the latter completely lacks its recovery. The equalization was close.
ASSE tries a lot (4 shots), but without frame. Technical waste remains important, especially in offensive transmissions. Opposite, Monaco is more surgical with 4 strikes on 5 tempted. Realism makes the difference at the break.
Saint-Etienne returns to the locker room with a delay goal, but the global service remains encouraging. The fighting spirit is there, the public pushes, and the team shows beautiful intentions. It remains to correct the precision in the last 30 meters to hope to overthrow the trend in the second period.
Davitashvili rekindles the flame, but the ASM responds immediately
While the Greens accused a delay in a break at the break, the hope briefly was reborn in the 65th minute thanks to a sublime rolled strike from Zuriko Davitashvili. A splendid goal that capsized Geoffroy-Guichard and awakened a Stéphanoise team hitherto lacking offensive efficiency. But this thinning was short -lived. Three minutes later, Moatasem al-Musrati, freshly entered, took advantage of a badly returned ball to restore the advantage to his own (68th), a precise strike which left Larsonneur without reaction.
Monaco punishes a sie too crumbly
The Greens tried to react, but as often this season, their defensive approximations cost them dearly. On a missed dismissal from Bernauer, Akliouche – already a scorer and very inspired – served Balogun who crucified the Stéphanois porter at close range (78th). Despite the offensive changes made by Eirik Horneland – with the entries of Wadji, Old or Sissoko – ASSE failed to return to the match. The Stéphanois attempts lacked precision, like Davitashvili’s missed shot a few minutes earlier (53rd).
ASSE sinks a little more
With this new defeat (the fifth consecutive against Monaco in Ligue 1), Saint-Etienne remains before the ranking. The club still points to a delay on Le Havre, which still has to play against Auxerre. Despite the boosted atmosphere of the stadium (35,757 spectators), the Greens failed to reverse the trend. The contrast is all the more cruel since AS Monaco, in management, has shown relentless realism to consolidate its place on the podium. The Stéphanois will imperatively have to react on the next day so as not to get bogged down more in the red zone.
