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Day: 19 February 2023

Monaco extend unbeaten win with hard-fought win against Brest

by: Luke Entwistle
19/02/2023

AS Monaco, Ligue 1’s only unbeaten side in 2023, continued their impressive streak with a hard-fought victory over strugglers Stade Brestois (1-2) on Sunday. 

The trajectories of Brest’s and Monaco’s seasons may greatly differ, but the three points were far from guaranteed for Philippe Clement’s side as they headed to the Stade Francis-le-Blé. Monaco had lost in their last two visits to the stadium, whilst an injury crisis had enveloped the squad following their impressive midweek Europa League victory over Bayer Leverkusen.

In this context, Clement rung the changes and Malang Sarr, Chrislain Matsima and Eliot Matazo all come into the side. Les Monégasques rarely looked at their fluent best in attack, but they could rely on a stable defensive base, despite fielding an unfamiliar backline against Brest.

Monaco have earned a reputation for attacking efficiency, and they once again showed why on Sunday. Aleksandr Golovin converted Monaco’s only clear-cut chance of the first-half after some intelligent play from Wissam Ben Yedder.

The away side never seemed to get out of first gear, but they didn’t have to. Brest offered very little offensively, and on the rare occasions that Monaco worked their way in behind the Brest defence, they punished them. Myron Boadu had a goal ruled out for a narrow offside but wasn’t to be denied a second time, the Dutch striker tucking home from close-range to double the lead.

Jérémy Le Douaron halved the deficit late on with a sliding finish, but Brest couldn’t force the equaliser. Monaco, therefore, come away with the three points, which further cements their place on the podium and extends their unbeaten run. As well as their 2023 unbeaten streak, Les Monégasques are also unbeaten away from home since 23rd October.

“If I was to take one thing from this match, it would be solidarity. Despite all of the injuries, all the players were ready to perform. At the start of the match, we felt a lack of automatism between players that aren’t used to starting together, but gradually, the team gained confidence and freed itself,” said Clement post-match.

Having consolidated their position on the Ligue 1 podium, attention now immediately shifts to Thursday’s crucial Europa League clash against Bayer Leverkusen. A draw would be enough to allow Les Monégasques to progress.

 

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Photo by AS Monaco

Chic ski resort Courchevel welcomes Prince Albert, Princess Charlene for charity gala

by: Cassandra Tanti
19/02/2023

A charity gala for the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation in the luxurious ski resort of Courchevel lured hundreds of high-profile guests, including the Princely couple and billionaire Jim Ratcliffe.

The children of Courchevel Sports Club got a boost on 12th February as the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation held a charity event for their benefit at the storied ski resort’s Ineos Club House.

Prince Albert and Princess Charlene were among the 200 invited guests, along with English billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, CEO of Ineos, as well as several entrepreneurs and sports figures, including Monegasque skier Arnaud Alessandria.

The dinner, which featured a piano recital by 17-year-old Monegasque piano virtuoso Stella Almondo, was organised by the Courchevel Ski Club President Marc Sénéchal.

Christie’s International led the auction with Director Julien Brunie presiding, and several exciting lots such as works of art, wines, culinary experiences, tourist experiences, and sports accessories signed by renowned athletes went under the gavel.

The trip and event, which coincided with the FIS Alpine World Championships, saw Prince Albert and his wife Princess Charlene on good form, with the Princess looking particularly stunning in an embroidered tulle gown by her preferred designer Akris. The Prince smartly and appropriately donned a blue blazer and slacks.

The Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation, which marked its 10th year recently, held this gala auction to raise funds to educate and raise awareness of the benefits of sport to young people, and to give those looking to enter the high-performance sporting world a leg up.

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Photo credit: Eric Mathon/Prince’s Palace

Mixed bag for Roca Team in cup competitions

by: Luke Entwistle
19/02/2023

AS Monaco Basketball progressed in the French Basketball Cup but stumbled at the first hurdle in the Leaders Cup in a week of mixed fortunes for the Principality side.

The Roca Team are currently enjoying a break from Euroleague action but were last week on the trail for silverware. France’s two domestic cup competitions got up and running with things starting positively for Sasa Obradovic’s men against Boulogne-Levallois on Wednesday. 

Victor Wembanyama contained 

The new start of French basketball, Victor Wembanyama (13 points) was in town, and fans packed into the Salle Gaston Médecin to watch him on Wednesday. Thanks to the diligent work on the Monaco defence, the Frenchman didn’t inflict his usual level of damage. That coupled with a mammoth collective scoring effort allowed the Roca Team to blow their opponents away, scoring over 20 points in each quarter, piercing the 100-point mark and winning by 31 points (107-76). 

The usual suspects, Mike James (18 points), Elie Okobo (15 points) and Alpha Diallo (10 points) all chipped-in in a surprisingly comfortable win for Les Monégasques. However, in the wake of the victory, Obradovic could already see signs of trouble. 

“Despite the clear victory, I saw too many errors. However, I am happy with how the team reacted after these previous matches. We approach the Leaders Cup like we should. We are the favourites for the competition and we can’t hide that,” said Obradovic. 

An early exit from the Leaders Cup

Attributed the tag of favourites, the Roca Team didn’t live up to expectations against a dogged Bourg-en-Bresse side on Friday. Monaco had fallen victim to the French side just five days earlier in the league (90-88), but lessons were clearly not learnt. 

Obradovic’s side were wasteful in the quarter-final of the competition, which gathers the highest-performing sides in the Betclic Elite, whilst they once again failed to effectively deal with Bourg-en-Bresse’s offence. 

James’ 26 points couldn’t compensate for the lax defensive performance and a lack of accompanying cast as Monaco suffered a surprising and disappointing defeat to a team that could be considered of inferior standing. 

Obradovic was scathing in his criticism post-match: “The best team is advancing to the semi-final, and why were they better? That’s the question. People said that we were too good for the division, but clearly not. This team must fight 100% for everything and we didn’t do that from the first possession. Everyone has to take responsibility, including me first and foremost,” said the Serbian coach. 

An unintended positive consequence of the early exit from the Leaders Cup is that his side have a whole week to prepare for their clash against Barcelona in the Euroleague with the Roca Team hoping to bounce back from a week of mixed domestic fortunes.

 

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Photo by AS Monaco Basket