13 ° C
Profile

Month: April 2021

Red and Whites shut out Bordeaux

by: Stephanie Horsman
19/04/2021

AS Monaco recorded their 21st win this season after crushing the Girondins de Bordeaux three to nil, pushing them ever closer to a podium win.
The match started with a flurry as the Red and Whites came out swinging in their game against Bordeaux on Sunday. The first clear shot on goal came a quarter hour into play when Aleksandr Golovin made the attempt but was thwarted by Benoît Costil.
At 22 minutes in, the Girondins suffered the loss of their team captain, Laurent Koscielny, who went out due to injury.
Just before the half hour mark, Kevin Volland opened scoring with a beauty of a shot, giving him his 15th goal in Ligue 1 this season. Bordeaux tried to play catch up before the half, but the teams went into the locker room with Monaco ahead one to nil.
After the break, the next bit of action came almost immediately when Gelson Martins knocked one over the top, doubling the score for AS Monaco.
Golovin almost added another goal to the score at 55 minutes in, but the Bordeaux goalkeeper saw it coming. The Girondins struck back in the 65th but came up short as Benjamin Lecomte had things well in hand.
By this point, it was fairly clear that Monaco was in charge and, just for good measure, Stevan Jovetić made the third and final goal just as the end of the game drew in from a header given to him by Sofiane Diop. The final score thus sat at 3 to 0 for Monaco.
“Bordeaux were expecting some mistakes from us,” said Coach Niko Kovac. “I think we dominated our opponent well in the first half in particular. We created a lot of opportunities, and we managed to score. In the second half, after the second goal, we dropped deeper and played with a little more caution. I would like to take my hat off to my players who have performed well. We did our job and 4th place is now sealed.”
The coach is also starting to look to the future with greater optimism.
“With a place in the Europa League now having been acquired, things have changed. As I had said previously, if we were able to achieve this goal, we could aim higher. There are many possibilities. We can finish on the podium, finish 2nd or finish 1st. We’ll see. There are tough opponents that we will have to face like Lyon, Rennes or Lens. If we are able to beat these teams, we will be able to look higher up the table.”
The Red and Whites return on Wednesday where they square off against Olympique Lyonnais in the Coupe de France quarterfinals.
 
Monaco Life with AS Monaco press release, photo by AS Monaco
 
 

Attal cautiously confirms 3rd May end to light lockdown

by: Cassandra Tanti
16/04/2021

The French government is still banking on lifting the current restrictions on 3rd May, as well as a mid-May reopening of restaurant terraces and a return to school at the end of April, according to a government spokesman.
Speaking on France Info, government spokesman Gabriel Attal said with caution that the reinforced restrictions put in place for the month of April will indeed end on 3rd May.
It means that travel restrictions will be scrapped, namely the 10 kilometre and 30 kilometre limits from home.
The lifting of these measures will depend on the evolution of the epidemic.
The curfew, however, will be maintained and no end date has been envisaged by authorities, said the spokesman.
Mr Attal also confirmed that the dates announced by French President Emmanuel Macron for the reopening of schools would be “maintained”. Therefore, all students will head back to school after the spring break on 26thApril: face-to-face for primary students, distance education for middle school, and face-to-face classes in half-groups for high school.
 
READ ALSO: Is this the timeline for France’s reopening?
 
 

Monaco enters next stage of vaccination rollout

by: Stephanie Horsman
16/04/2021

Residents of the Principality aged 45 and over are now being invited to get their Covid vaccination. Meanwhile, home-tests are now being stocked in pharmacies in Monaco.
As the government announced the relaxation of restrictions in Monaco on Thursday, Health Minister Didier Gamerdinger took the opportunity to alert the public that vaccines against Covid would now be open to the 45-plus age group and that they will receive written notification in the coming days.
The vaccination rollout in Monaco started off agonisingly slow, but has gained real momentum, despite a brief setback when there were dose shortages in recent weeks. Nonetheless, the campaign has borne fruit, as infection rates and hospitalisations have steadily decreased as older residents were protected.
“To date, 12,077 patients have received their first injection, for example, 32% of the population,” the minister clarified, which shows a “strong vaccine adherence.”
The breakdown by age groups shows that 78.2% of those over 75 have received their jabs, as have 61% of the 65 to 74’s, and almost half of the 55 to 64 age range.
The minister has also specified which vaccines will be on offer and why.
“AstraZeneca, if it was considered for a while, will ultimately not be useful in Monaco, since the age group not affected by this product has already been vaccinated,” he said.
He followed this up on social media saying, “I want to clarify that at the moment we have only injected and will only vaccinate with Pfizer. We are also waiting for Moderna. Self-tests are also being rolled out in pharmacies in the Principality.”
 

Photo by Steven Cornfield on Unsplash

 
 

Hauser and Wirth to open gallery in Monaco

by: Stephanie Horsman
16/04/2021

Monaco has been earmarked as the home for a new private viewing space by Zurich-based gallerists Hauser and Wirth who will hold their inaugural show in June celebrating the works of Louise Bourgeois.

The celebrated mega-gallery Hauser and Wirth, which spent the last few years expanding beyond traditional art centres, has announced the opening of a private viewing space in Monaco. Previewed to debut on 19thJune, the space will feature the works of Louise Bourgeois and will be called Maladie de l’Amour.

The artist’s prodigious bronze sculpture, Spider, will take up residence in the garden of the new gallery for the summer, staying until September. In addition, two suspended aluminium sculptures dating from 2004 will be on display inside as will other works dating from the period between 1947 and 2008.
This inaugural show will “play a part in the continuing revival of the art scene in Monaco”, says gallery president Iwan Wirth in a statement. The space also signals the gallery’s continuing interest in going beyond metropolitan hubs to the places where collectors actually live and work.

In addition to the Monaco location, the gallery has opened spaces in St Moritz and Southampton and is set to open an ‘arts centre’ in Menorca over the summer.

“This is something we have always done,” Wirth says of the gallery’s growing reach outside capital cities. “But it’s an even more important step given the impact of events over the last year during which we have sought out new ways to present and sell works of art.”

The 290 square metre space with nine-metre-high ceilings was designed by Selldorf Architects, the gallery’s go-to for their spaces.

Louise Bourgeois’s show at Hauser and Wirth will run from 19th June to 25th September.

PHOTO: Louise Bourgeois, Spider, 1996, Installed in Monaco © The Easton Foundation / DACS, 2021

Fairytale evening at the Hôtel de Paris

by: Stephanie Horsman
16/04/2021

The Grand Ball of Princes and Princesses celebrates its fifth year in June, bringing the magic from days of old to life for one night only at the Hôtel de Paris and featuring artists, singers and dancers to captivate guests.

The Grand Ball of Princes and Princesses, a charity event raising funds for the Princess Grace Foundation and the Prince Albert II Foundation, will be under the artistic direction of Delia Grace Noble, opera singer and UNICEF Ambassador, who has plans for an unforgettable night filled with fantasy, fairies and famous guests.

“The fascinating and exciting fairy tales you knew in your childhood will no longer remain a fantasy,” said Ms Noble. “This time, the Prince Charming or dreamy Princess you used to dream of will not just live in your imagination. A night is coming in which all of your royal, rapturous fantasies will come to life in the fairyland that is Monte Carlo.”

Organisers promise that the Michelin-inspired dinner will be accompanied by a show where dancers will delight, musicians will enchant, and the visual effects will be unparalleled.

Photo of the Grand Ball of Princes and Princesses at the Hotel de Paris in 2020, by Alessia Bruchi

Invitees are asked to dress in sumptuous costumes: ceremonial military regalia or white tie and tails for the gentlemen and ball gowns and tiaras for the ladies are de rigueur for the event.

The night begins with a red carpet ceremony followed by a short reception and welcome cocktail. The Carabiniers of the Prince will open the ball at 8:15pm, to be followed by dinner, entertainment, dancing and finally, a trip to the Casino de Monte Carlo to end the night in style.

The royal treatment comes with a price. Tickets start at €1,200 and reach up to €8,000 for a ‘Distinction Package’ that includes two night’s stay for two at the hotel, helicopter transfers to Nice Airport, a personalised photo session, theme appropriate hair and makeup on event day and of course an all-access pass to the event.

The Grand Ball of Princes and Princesses is being held on Thursday 17th June starting at the Salle Empire at the Hôtel de Paris.

 
Top photo of the Grand Ball of Princes and Princesses at the Hotel de Paris in 2020, by Alessia Bruchi
 
 

Historic Grand Prix to remain “local”

by: Cassandra Tanti
15/04/2021

This year’s Historic Grand Prix of Monaco, due to take place from 23rd to 25th April, will be restricted to residents, employees and hotel guests only.
The government on Thursday gave the highly awaited news on the conditions it would impose on the event, just over a week from the day it is due to take place.
Minister of the Interior Patrice Cellario revealed that the audience for the Historic Grand Prix will be restricted to 6,500 people, equivalent to one third of the normal capacity.
Racing on Friday 23rd April will be closed to the public, while Saturday and Sunday events will be open to ticket holders.
The minister said that “preferential rates” will be offered to residents, employees of Monaco and hotel guests who wish to attend.
 
 
Photo by Reuben Rohard on Unsplash