Month: January 2022

Loeb beat Ogier in a battle of the Sébastien’s, as the former claimed his eighth Monte-Carlo Rally win after an incredible final day of racing on Sunday.

The pendulum swung back-and-forth between the pair the entire event. Defending champion Ogier began strongly on Thursday following the departure from Casino Square, winning both stages. The drivers’ route was illuminated by road-side fans, whose pyrotechnics and fireworks inaugurated the event in style as they raced through the alpine night.

Loeb, who was making a one-off appearance, wasn’t far behind, and set to work on reducing the slender six second deficit. Victories in the opening two stages narrowed the gap between the two Frenchmen, whilst Adrien Formaux came out unscathed from a hefty crash in snowy conditions, which saw the car tumble down the mountainside in the opening stage of Friday morning.

By the third stage of the day, which saw the drivers tackle some treacherous mountain roads around Valberg, Loeb had manufactured an advantage of 13 seconds to Ogier, whilst Welshman Elfyn Evans split the pair in second.

Englishman Gus Greensmith claimed his first World Rally Championship win, and although Ogier had reduced the gap to Loeb in the latter half of the day, Loeb still carried an almost 10 second advantage going into the penultimate day.

Saturday came and Ogier was on the charge. After a third place finish in the first event of the day, he won the second to retake the overall lead of the event by a matter of milliseconds. Another win in the 11th stage eked out the lead further, and by Saturday evening he had stretched out an advantage of over 21 seconds.

Ogier looked set to retain his title going into the final day, as he had seemingly fought off Loeb’s spirited fightback. But there was another twist in the tale. Ogier suffered a puncture on the penultimate stage, the lead consequently changing hands once again going into the final event of the competition.

With a deficit of 9.5 seconds to overcome, Ogier’s attempts to retain his title were hampered further, after a jump start saw him receive a 10-point time penalty. Despite a valiant effort, that deficit proved insurmountable, Loeb taking the title by 10.5 seconds.

Upon the Champion’s triumphant return to Casino Square, Loeb celebrated in style, performing his iconic backflip. His co-driver Isabelle Galmiche, a maths teacher, also became the first female winner of a World Rally Championship since 1997.

Loeb expressed his delight and surprise at taking home an eighth Monte-Carlo Rallye title, saying, “It’s an incredible feeling, it’s been so long. I was hoping to keep up the pace, but to win is unexpected… I didn’t expect so much when I came here.”

Loeb and Ogier threw up a battle for the ages amidst an incredible atmosphere, and hopefully they both return next year to write another chapter in this incredible rivalry.

Photo source: Automobile Club of Monaco

Montpellier snatched a dramatic victory in the dying seconds against AS Monaco on Sunday, consigning Philippe Clement to his first defeat as manager and damaging the side’s European aspirations.

Clement told Monaco Life pre-match that he was looking to rectify Monaco’s poor away form in Ligue 1 this season. The Principality side have only won three out of their 10 away matches in the competition this campaign, and have failed to score in five of their last six matches away from the Stade Louis II.

Clement is still dealing with a depleted roster. Already without a number of first-team players including Benoit Badiashile, Aleksandr Golovin and Myron Boadu, he lost Kevin Volland shortly before kick-off, leaving Wissam Ben Yedder as the only recognised striker in the squad.

Monaco still fielded an experienced side, and there could be no excuse for the slack defending that led to Montpellier opening the scoring. Elye Wahi probably couldn’t believe his luck when he received the ball in acres of space within the Monaco penalty area. With the marauding left-back Caio Henrique nowhere to be seen, the young French striker picked his spot and slotted past Aleksandr Nubel.

Things would get worse for Monaco. The scorer Wahi would turn provider this time, setting up Englishman Stephy Mavididi just outside the box, who rifled a powerful shot past Nubel to double Montpellier’s advantage and leave Monaco with a mountain to climb.

The Principality side immediately went about conquering that mountain, and a sumptuous, chipped through ball from Aurelien Tchouameni put the ball on a plate for Ben Yedder to slot home, halving the deficit and becoming the outright top scorer in Ligue 1 in the process.

In the second-half, Montpellier sat deeper and deeper, inviting pressure. Their stern defensive effort, however, deprived Monaco of any clear-cut chances. That was until Vanderson, on as a substitute, connected perfectly with a volley on the swivel, to net his first goal for the club following his arrival at the start of January. Having restored parity, Monaco were looking for a winner.

Montpellier, however, had other ideas. The side had posed little threat since the second goal, but began to push once again, as the closing stages were played at a high tempo. A piercing run from Nicolas Cozza split the Monaco defence apart. He then laid it off to Mavididi, who blasted into the roof of the net, queuing jubilant scenes in La Mosson. Contrast that with the images of the Monaco players, many of whom lay on the turf, head in hands – their battling remontada undone in the blink of an eye.

Post-match, Clement succinctly summarised the afternoon’s events, saying, “That was a bit of a mad match, it’s true.” The Belgian, however, believed his side were hard done by, stating, “In light of our domination, and with a bit more luck on our side, we deserved better, at least a draw.”

Clement now has one win, one draw and one loss as Monaco manager. With a Coupe de France fixture against Lens next Sunday, he is positive about the side’s prospects in the near future. “I hope that the coming weeks will be more favourable to us, with the return of certain players to the group.”

Photo source: AS Monaco

AS Monaco Basketball enjoyed a fruitful 48 hours with victories in the Euroleague and the Betclic Elite, as Sasa Obradovic works his magic over a team that looked down-and-out just weeks ago.

Having joined an exclusive list of players to reach 3,000 points in the Euroleague on Tuesday, becoming the second-fastest player to reach the landmark, Mike James was once again pivotal on Thursday, coming out top scorer (21) in Monaco’s victory against Zenit St Petersburg (77-86).

His incredible career in the Euroleague hasn’t simply been defined by his point-scoring ability, but also his eye for a pass, which was once again on show on Thursday as he registered five assists.

In beating the Russian side, Monaco extended their winning streak in the Euroleague to four games, ending Zenit’s own four-game streak in the process. Although a less emphatic victory than the one against Lyon earlier in the week, it was no less impressive. The Roca team once again came out winners in each quarter, away from home and against a team that sat fourth in the league table.

Dwayne Bacon (20) and Donatas Motiejunas (18) backed up their point guard with high scoring matches of their own. The trio of Bacon, Motiejunas and James have synced-up their purple-patches, and the result is some of the best basketball that Monaco have produced all season. For the sake of the side’s play-off hopes, they will be hoping that it continues.

Teams around Monaco have games in hand on the Principality side, but for now at least, they have reached the play-off places. This feat seemed unimaginable just a few weeks ago when Obradovic had the daunting task of lifting a seemingly dispirited squad.

Having proclaimed that their last victory against Lyon-Villeurbanne was their best of his tenure, the Serbian laid the praise on thick once again, telling the assembled media, “We did the job and controlled the entire match… keeping control and knowing what to do in each moment is important. It is a very beautiful victory.”

Too strong for Orleans

Monaco’s packed season has been defined by quick turnarounds, and they had another one here as they faced a trip to Orleans in the Betclic Elite on Saturday, just two days after their victory in Russia. The unrelenting fixture list proved problematic earlier in the season, however Monaco have found a good rhythm in recent weeks, and the quick-fire fixtures are allowing them to maintain their momentum.

Having lost against Nanterre in the last round of Betclic Elite fixtures, Monaco got their domestic campaign back on track with a comfortable victory away to Orleans (61-74). The ease of the victory was impressive given the squad rotation on display, and is testament to the great depth within the group.

Motiejunas, one of the only players to have been prominent in both fixtures, was the difference in this clash, his prolific finishing within the key helping him to 20 points on the night.

Alpha Diallo was also prominent, as Monaco consolidated their second place standing in the domestic division, remaining out of the clutches of the chasing sides.

Monaco now have the opportunity to benefit from a small gap in the schedule, before welcoming Euroleague table-toppers Real Madrid at the Salle Gaston Medecin on Friday.

Photo source: AS Monaco Basketball