Roca Team exact revenge on Euroleague nemesis

30/10/2022

AS Monaco Basketball avenged last year’s Euroleague play-off defeat to beat Olympiacos (76-81) in a fiercely contested battle in Greece on Thursday, before maintaining their domestic invincibility over the weekend.

The Roca Team’s rise has been punctuated by nights like this. The Peace and Friendship Stadium in Athens is known to be particularly hostile. Known as ‘The Volcano,’ very few walk away with a victory. But Sasa Obradovic’s men’s performance was a testament to their progression, their accrued experience, and their collective spirit.

The arrival of Mike James (20) was a huge coup at the time, and his signing looks more and more astute with every passing match. He is the ticking heart of this team, present in every offensive phase and capable of changing the trajectory of a match on his own.

But around him, a team that plays as a collective has been built. Elie Okobo (23), who so cruelly denied Monaco of the Betclic Elite title last year is making his arrival on Le Rocher felt. He is shouldering the playmaking responsibility with James, and on the night, he was decisive, ending the match not only as the top scorer, but also registering four assists, and three rebounds.

The defence has also markedly improved. Kostas Sloukas, who like James has the ability to run the show, was kept quieter than usual. As a playmaker, he still made his presence felt (8 assists) but he didn’t score the points to be decisive in the fixture.

After two tight opening quarters, Monaco created the gap in the third (14-23). Olympiacos pushed to bring themselves back into the game in the final quarter, but unlike in recent games, the Roca Team managed the game well and didn’t allow their opponents a route back.

The win (76-81) consolidates their position in the play-off positions. Although it is still very early in the season, the signs are positive for another run at the play-offs, and maybe the final four.

Roca Team remain invincible

Monaco backed up their victory against Olympiacos with another strong display in the Betclic Elite. Strasbourg were the latest team to succumb to the superiority of Obradovic’s well-oiled machine (75-87).

The result allows Monaco to remain in first place in their domestic division, all whilst maintaining their 100% win record. They are the only side still unbeaten in the Betclic Elite.

Monaco next welcome Red Star to the Principality in a Friday night clash against the Serbian side. The match, initially scheduled to take place on Thursday, has been moved because of AS Monaco’s Europa League tie, incredibly also against Red Star’s football side.

Photo by AS Monaco Basket

Monaco return to winning ways after midweek draw

by: Luke Entwistle

30/10/2022

AS Monaco ended a four-game winless run with a 2-0 victory against Angers on Sunday after a midweek draw against Ferencváros leaves Philippe Clement’s side with work still to do to ensure qualification.

Monaco go into the key clash against Red Star Belgrade on Thursday with a win under their belts. Last Thursday’s draw against Ferencváros in the Europa League means that qualification to the knockout stages of the tournament hinges on getting a result in the final group stage game.

Wissam Ben Yedder had put Les Monégasques ahead with a clever flicked finish in the box. They had chances to kill the game, one of the most gilt-edged of which fell to Kevin Volland.

In the final minutes of regulation time, Monaco were made to pay for not killing the game. Kristoffer Zachariassen got the equaliser to retain Ferencváros’ spot at the top of the standings with one game to spare.

That draw stretched Monaco’s winless run to four games – an unwanted record that was ended at the Stade Louis II on Sunday. In Angers, Monaco came up against an opponent also in desperate need of a win, or two. Like Monaco, they are on a four-game winless run and sit rock-bottom of the Ligue 1 standings.

On paper, the result looked simple, but the reality was that this was a hard-fought win for Monaco, who found themselves under pressure at times in the first half.

There was an early scare for Monaco, who thought they had conceded a penalty when Adrien Hunou tumbled theatrically in the box. Stéphanie Frappart pointed the spot, but the decision was overturned following consultation with VAR and Hunou was sanctioned for his dive.

Monaco then earned a penalty of their own, and this one stood. However, the usually clinical Ben Yedder struck his penalty poorly and it was easily saved by Yahia Fofana, who guessed the right way to make the stop.

In need of offensive thrust, Clement brought on Vanderson at half-time, the Brazilian deemed fit after picking up an injury in the club’s midweek draw. The substitute immediately reaped rewards, the right-back crossing for Breel Embolo to tap in from close range.

*Photo of AS Monaco v Angers by Monaco Life*

Two more substitutes combined for the second. Kevin Volland set up Aleksandr Golovin on the edge of the box, the latter unleashing a sumptuous curling effort into the top corner. At 2-0, Monaco turned on cruise control and saw the match out.

Clement’s comments

“The first quarter of an hour was good and Angers had a response with a compact block, but as time went on the tempo slowed down. In the second half, it was a lot better. The team were higher and added pressure. Our domination was rewarded with two beautiful goals. The reaction in the second half was very good and that’s what we have to remember. We leave with the three points and a clean sheet,” said Clement.

“The rotation allows me to have fresher players for the match against Red Star on Thursday,” the Belgian manager added.

Man of the match – Breel Embolo

The Swiss international striker is beginning to outshine his strike partner. He now has six goals in 13 Ligue 1 matches, after once again proving decisive on Sunday. As well as becoming more clinical in front of goal, his overall game and profile give Monaco the option to do different things and play in different ways.

Monaco now need to maintain their momentum, with a crucial match on Thursday, on which the fate of their European adventure lies.

Photo by AS Monaco

Prince Albert II joins the Indian Ocean Mission in the field

by: Elsa Carpenter

30/10/2022

Far from the Mediterranean shores he knows best, Prince Albert II has travelled to the Indian Ocean to join a 150-team of scientists and researchers aboard the S.A. Agulhas.

The #MissionOcéanIndien2022 left Cape Agulhas, the African continent’s most southern point and where the Atlantic Ocean officially meets the Indian Ocean, on Monday 3rd October. Its first stop was Mauritius seven days later before heading to the French overseas territory of La Réunion. The Monaco Explorations expedition will soon reach Mahé, the largest island in the Seychelles archipelago, before sailing back to Mauritius. In total, the mission will cover 7,300 nautical miles – or 13,500km – in two months.

Most recently, the team aboard spent a week in the Aldabra atoll and it was here that Prince Albert II met with Jean-François Ferrari, a Seychellois minister for fishing, and Flavien Joubert, the minister for agriculture, climate change and the environment, on Monday 24th October.

Together they spoke with Doctor Frauke Fleischer-Dogley, the CEO of the Seychelles Island Foundation, to learn more about the biodiversity of the islands and to sign a proclamation to establish a cooperation of research and conservation of the region’s coral reefs between the Scientific Center of Monaco, the Oceanographic Museum of Monaco and the Seychelles Islands Foundation.

“What strikes me today is that expertise and research in the maritime field have never really been priorities,” said Prince Albert. “The ocean remains largely unknown. Yet it holds so many treasures. A better knowledge of them is essential to ensure the protection of our planet.”

Prince Albert II at the helm

On Tuesday 25th October, Prince Albert II joined the S.A. Agulhas and its crew, getting a personal tour of the vessel and its highly developed laboratories from Captain Knowledge Bengu. Ever keen to get involved, the Prince took the helm of an ROV, a remotely operated underwater vehicle, that had been deployed to a depth of 700 metres – a record-breaking depth for this zone of the ocean.

“[The Indian Ocean mission] mobilises significant resources: one of the largest oceanographic vessels in service and an international team of around 150 people representing some 20 nationalities and a wide range of profiles: seasoned scientists, young researchers and students, artists, filmmakers and photographers, divers, communicators, and members of civil society,” says the director of Monaco Explorations, Gilles Bessero.

The flagship of the expedition is the S.A. Agulhas II, a multipurpose vessel of 134 metres that was built in Finland in 2012 and chartered by Monaco Explorations for this unique expedition. The ship is designed for navigating in ice and recently won acclaim for its role in finding Sir Ernst Shackelton’s Endurance, which sank in the Weddell Sea off Antarctica in 1915, in March of this year.

*Prince Albert II tours the S.A. Agulhas II. Credit: Nicolas Mathys*

“An adventure addressed to all humanity”

Prince Albert II travelled ahead of the S.A. Agulhas II on Wednesday 26th October in order to meet with the president of the Seychelles, Wavel Ramkalawan, as part of a diplomatic visit in Mahé. It was an opportunity to discuss all he had learnt on the Aldabra atoll and the wider goals of the Monaco Explorations mission.

The objectives of the expedition are to: “understand, analyse and evaluate the state and functioning of the ecosystem of the area”. It hopes to mobilise governments through diplomatic action, and help contribute to a sustainable management of maritime spaces by sharing the issues faced by the region and the knowledge gained thanks to the expedition with as many people as possible.

“The Monaco Explorations are at the confluence of most of the themes which are dear to me and which in this respect resonate particularly in me,” said Prince Albert. “It is an adventure that also echoes the most beautiful traditions of the Principality, and is addressed to all humanity.”

The S.A. Agulhas is expected to be back in Cape Town on Wednesday 30th November.

You can follow the expedition live at: www.monacoexplorations.org.

Main photo: Prince Albert II with S.A. Agulhas II’s captain, Knowledge Bengu. Photo credit: Nicolas Mathys

Day: 30 October 2022