On a night when World record pole vaulter Armand Duplantis gave the ceremonial kick-off, AS Monaco kept their feet firmly on the ground, despite an emphatic win over European champions PSG (1-0).

Monaco began Saturday evening eight points away from the podium, their stated objective at the start of the season. “We have to realise that we are far away from the podium,” said manager Sébastien Pocognoli pre-match. “Even if the calendar is difficult, we have to get closer”. It is a tough run-up until the winter break for the Principality club, who will face Galatasaray and Marseille in December. But PSG, the reigning European champions and “maybe the best team in Europe”, in the words of Pocognoli, was the toughest test of all, or so it was thought.

But they caught PSG on an off night. Luis Enrique denounced Les Parisiens’ “worst match of the season”, and a “very, very bad night”. Possessional and territorial dominance define PSG, but they sustained neither for long periods in front of a packed house at the Stade Louis II.

Salisu assumes responsibility after midweek criticism

The best chances fell to Monaco, and specifically, to Mohammed Salisu, in the first half. The Ghana international was highly critical of his teammates’ “mentality” after the midweek draw to Pafos (2-2). Lukas Hradecky said that the comments, which also laid into Monaco’s forwards and their lack of efficiency, maybe “weren’t appropriate”, but Salisu took it upon himself to get the goals againstPSG. He went close with a half-volley in the opening minutes, before hitting the post and even putting the ball in the back of the net before the end of the first half. But having finally beaten Lucas Chevalier in goal in the 40th minute, his effort was ruled out for offside.

Chevalier was busy and in the wars in the opening 45 minutes. As well as denying Salisu, the France international then made an excellent save to deny Takumi Minamino’s volley. He was also the centre of the moment of controversy, and potentially the defining moment of the game. He was chopped down by Lamine Camara when attempting to clear. A yellow, rather than a red, was awarded, and VAR did not contradict referee Clément Turpin. The decision enraged PSG, with Chevalier himself saying that the challenge could have been “a turning point in his career”, such was his perceived brutality of the challenge. “I am very lucky,” added Chevalier.

Pogba makes home debut for Monaco

But luck did not shine on PSG’s side on the night. Luis Enrique’s side were uncharacteristically flat, and whilst Les Parisiens had two good chances in quick succession early in the second-half, the second a glanced header from Senny Mayulu, which flew just wide, it was Monaco who took a deserved lead.

It was an excellent ball down the line from Salisu, a measured cross from Aleksandr Golovin and a smart, composed finish from Minamino, in the bottom corner.

The Principality club would have to ride a wave of pressure. Monaco fell further back into a low-block in the final stages after Thilo Kehrer was shown a red card for impeding Ibrahim Mbaye, who was going through on goal. Paul Pogba was brought on for his home debut to shore up the defence, and Pocognoli’s side were compact and resolute.

Quentin Ndjantou slid when taking a shot from a tight angle, and a Vitinha half-volley forced Hradecky into action. Joao Neves gave Monaco a late fright, making his best Duplantis impression, leaping above the Monaco defence but heading over. Monaco held on for a much-deserved win and one that brings them closer to the European places.

“We have no reason to be too euphoric” – Scuro

CEO Thiago Scuro came into the mixed zone post-match, but sought to keep the celebrations measured. “Just as we weren’t panicking with the situation in the past weeks, we have no reason to be too euphoric. We showed our value. We deserved to win,” said the Brazilian. 

But there is no downplaying the importance of the win, given the context, which Scuro perfectly summarised: “In terms of confidence and trust, it is important to win the game tonight. It has been a hard season for us to manage, very unstable. To be honest, we are not happy with our level since the beginning of the season; this is our reality. But to solve the problems, we need to be calm, we need to be smart. There is no magical solution, but there is a lot of hard work.”

His comments were mirrored by Pocognoli, who didn’t want to get carried away, describing an “accomplished performance”. He added, Today, we had a conquering mindset, an aggression, which was sometimes on the limit (a not so subtle not to that Camara incident), but I have no problem with that.”

“Step by step”, said Scuro, but some steps are bigger than others, and this certainly felt like a big one, on a big evening, against the biggest of opponents. But Monaco must back it up, starting against Brest next week.

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Photo source: AS Monaco