AS Monaco risk missing out on all forms of European football as a 1-0 loss at home to Lille on Sunday night saw them drop to seventh ahead of the final week of the season.
It was only a matter of weeks ago that optimism had returned to the Stade Louis II. Distanced from the European race and languishing in mid-table mid-season, it required a significant effort to drag themselves back up the table. But they managed it. Nine league wins in a row saw Monaco once again in prime position to secure some form of European football. A return to the Champions League was a very real possibility. But having beaten the likes of Marseille, Lyon, and PSG during their impressive run from February through March, the wheels fell off against minnows such as Toulouse, Paris FC, and Auxerre. Taking just two points from a possible nine in that three-game run left Sébastien Pocognoli’s men on the back foot once again.
The situation was critical but not terminal when Lille arrived. Ahead of Marseille, their sixth-place standing could have been enough to secure Europa League football. It may still be, but if they are to secure it, they must beat Strasbourg on the final day of the season and hope that OM stumble at home to Rennes, who retain hope of UCL qualification themselves.
Monaco and Lille both “lacklustre”
It was a passive performance, all too common over the course of the campaign, that brought Monaco close to breaking point. “Lacklustre” was the word used by Sébastien Pocognoli on a night when Monaco’s dream of a third successive Champions League qualification died.
It was Lille, in search of a place on the podium, who brought the intensity, forcing Monaco into errors in their own half. Their pressing yielded no clear chance, though. There was a scare for Monaco when Clément Turpin pointed to the spot when he adjudged Jordan Teze to have brought down Matias Fernandez-Pardo. The Dutchman looked a little surprised. When you say the replays, you could see why. There was no contact, and the decision was overturned. The first clear chance fell to Maghnes Akliouche, perhaps in his final game at the Stade Louis II, but from a tight angle, his curled effort flew just the wrong side of the far post.
“It wasn’t a great match generally. There were very few chances for either side and no clear domination,” said Pocognoli. Such games can be decided by one error, and so it was on Sunday. Lamine Camara, also linked with a summer move and perhaps playing in the Principality for the last time, misplaced his ball back for Thilo Kehrer. It allowed Gaetan Perrin to run through and pull the ball across the goal for Thomas Meunier. It would never reach the latter. Instead, scrambling to recover, Denis Zakaria would put it past Lukas Hradecky and into his own net.
“It has been a gruelling season” – Pocognoli
Monaco fell behind in the 72nd minute and wouldn’t have another shot on target; they were limited to just three on target all game. For much of the season, Les Monégasques have been reacting, and on Sunday night, there wasn’t one. On the final day, Monaco’s fate is out of their hands as they fight for the more minor European competitions.
“The match tonight showed us that we don’t belong in the Champions League,” said Hradecky. “Overall, individually, as a club, as a team, we have to do better. Sixth and seventh position, it is not what I came to play for. I don’t think it is what anyone expected.”
“It has been a gruelling season,” added Pocognoli. “There have been highs and lows, and that in itself expends a lot of energy […] there have been some great evenings, but unfortunately not enough.” The Monaco manager has spoken a lot about energy and how much was expended to get back into a position that gave rise to hope. But that energy, as was evident against Lille, has run out. To beat Strasbourg and dream – if that is even the right word – of a sixth place, they will have to tap into their reserves. Doing so will not be easy. “There are still things to fight for,” Pocognoli sought to highlight post-match. At the start of the season, Monaco wouldn’t have thought that they would be fighting for scraps when they travelled to the Meinau.
Stay updated with Monaco Life: sign up for our free newsletter, catch our podcast on Spotify, and follow us across Facebook,  Instagram, LinkedIn, and Tik Tok.
Photo source: AS Monaco