AS Monaco got their Ligue 1 campaign off to a winning start against Le Havre (3-1), with Eric Dier netting on his debut for the Principality club.
The new Ligue 1 season came around with new stars at the club. Not all were on the pitch. Dier and Lukas Hradecky were making their debuts for the Principality club. However, the biggest name to arrive over the summer, Paul Pogba, watched from the stands, as did Ansu Fati. Neither is yet fit. But without them, Monaco got their campaign off to an ideal start.
There was some rustiness evident, particularly in the first half, with simple passes going astray. A lack of precision prevented Les Monégasques from making their possessional dominance count, with only a shot from distance from Mika Biereth to show for it in the opening 30 minutes.
A slice of luck gifts Monaco the lead
And to take the lead, Monaco relied on a bit of luck. Aleksandr Golovin got down the side of the Le Havre defence and, in flashing a cross across goal, saw the ball deflect off the unfortunate Gautier Lloris. Without regularly threatening thereafter, Adi Hütter’s side would have been disappointed not to give themselves some breathing room going into the break.
They were denied what looked like a penalty for handball, and Maghnes Akliouche, still regularly linked with a departure, struck the post with a finely-struck volley.
Monaco did get their second and it came from Dier. The Englishman rose highest from a Lamine Camara corner, heading straight at Mory Diaw, who, despite getting his body behind the ball, couldn’t prevent it from trickling over the line.
However, Le Havre were immediately offered a route back into the game. Vandereson, just off the bench, lost the ball and then was dribbled past by Rassoul Ndiaye, who cut inside the Brazilian and curled into the far corner of Hradecky’s net.
Hütter dissatisfied with Monaco performance
But Le Havre were always at arm’s length, even if Monaco were far from their best, and their third goal epitomised that control. Akliouche latched onto Denis Zakaria’s ball across goal, tapping into the empty net and securing the win. There was substance, but little style, and Hütter, despite the win, expects improvement.
“In football, two things are important: the result and the performance,” began the Monaco manager. “With the result, I am satisfied. It is always very important. We deserved to win, but I cannot be satisfied with the performance. We can do much better.”
Lille and Strasbourg up next
“We played too slowly, with too many mistakes,” added Hütter, who pointed out that while such a performance may suffice in getting the job done against Le Havre, it won’t do against their next two opponents, Lille and Strasbourg. A satisfactory start for Monaco, but bigger challenges await.
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Photo source: AS Monaco
