AS Monaco let a two-goal lead slip against Toulouse (2-2), but the draw ensures that Filipe Luís’ side will end the weekend top of Ligue 1.
These were two points dropped, not one point gained. Monaco headed into half-time two goals up. Edan Diop had got the Principality club up and running with a header from an Aleksandr Golovin cross, and it was a moment of brilliance from Matthis Abline that gave his side a cushion.
It was a simple pass from Diop to Abline, who, 25 yards out, back to goal, used one touch to flick the ball up, his second to keep it in the air, and then another to, on the swivel, volley into the bottom corner of the Toulouse goal. Quite the way to open your account as a Monaco player. “I think that I’m a player who doesn’t think. When it comes to me, I like to do crazy things. That’s why I try things like that,” said the Frenchman, who was the marquee signing of Monaco’s summer transfer window.
An ‘uncomfortable’ second half for Monaco
But rather than savour the moment, Abline came into the mixed zone post-match to say that Monaco needed to “quickly move on” after a second half much less successful than the first. A drop in intensity and a more conservative attitude on the ball put Monaco into “uncomfortable” positions, in the words of Filipe Luís.
Nazinho found himself in one when he brought down Mark McKenzie in his own box. Casper Tengstedt, one of the in-form forwards in Ligue 1, stepped up to convert the penalty and make it four goals in four games. Monaco didn’t come out of their shell and continued to play within themselves, inviting the pressure and ultimately conceding the second goal.
Midweek trip to Bulgaria awaits
It came courtesy of the head of Sion Oppong, who caused Monaco plenty of problems off the bench. Jens Berthel Askou said that he had to “wake [his] side up” at the break, and in the adjoining dressing room, Monaco had clearly gone to sleep. And yet, Luís had warned of the threat posed by Le TéFéCé, who were short-changed at the start of the season. Just five points from their first five games didn’t reflect their impressive performances under their new manager.
“It’s a match that leaves me with a bit of a bitter taste,” said Luís late on Saturday night after his side failed to re-establish an advantage and therefore settled for just one point. It is an important point, however, as it keeps them top of the league.
Les Monégasques’ attention now turns to European football. Luís’ side open their Europa Conference League campaign with a trip to face CSKA Sofia on Thursday. It is a competition that Monaco will play to win, and their unbeaten start to the season certainly makes them one of the favourites.
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Photo source: AS Monaco