In the aftermath of AS Monaco’s draw against Lens, which secured Champions League play-off qualification but wasn’t sufficient to earn second place, owner Dmitry Rybolovlev praised the club’s fighting spirit.

Rybolovlev has attended the final two matches of Monaco’s season. Having overseen the Principality side’s incredible comeback against Brest last week, he made the trip to see the Red and Whites at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis on Saturday.

The owner also attended Thursday morning’s training session in La Turbie, accompanied by sporting director Paul Mitchell and technical director James Bunce. In a press release on Sunday, Rybolovlev spoke publicly about the club’s incredible end-of-season exploits. You can read his statement in full below:

“The cruel scenario of this final match must not make us forget the last episodes of the battle that we waged in Ligue 1.

At the end of a season that was marked by ups and downs, I would like to see us remember the fighting spirit shown by the players and the coaching staff.

The team went through difficult periods but did not give up. Instead, they went on an excellent unbeaten run and were rewarded for their effort with the club’s seventh podium finish since AS Monaco returned to Ligue 1 nine years ago.

During the season, our young team took part in both national and European competitions. I hope that the experience they gained will help our players deliver an even more mature and consistent performance next season.

It is with the will to continue to grow and progress, building on what has been put in place, that we will prepare for our next season.

Finally, I would like to thank our fans who, as always throughout the whole season, supported the team, both at home and away matches.

Daghe Munegu!”

Photo source: AS Monaco