AS Monaco hosted Ligue 1 leaders Paris Saint-Germain, and outperformed the Parisians in front of a packed out crowd at the Stade Louis II on Sunday, March 20.
Surprisingly for some, it was Monaco that seemed to be in control of the match right from kick-off. The Monegasques pressed high up the pitch and created some solid chances, but lacked the ability to finish clinically.
That was until the 25th minute, when team captain Wissam Ben Yedder struck the ball in from point-blank range, leaving Paris goalie Gianluigi Donnarumma with no hope of saving it.
Neymar Jr came close to equalising shortly thereafter, but an attentive Alexander Nübel kept the Brazilian star at bay.
The Monegasques kept up the pressure going into the second half, but Paris became more aggressive. In response to the increased Parisian threat, Monaco’s defensive line came alive, with Axel Disasi making some crucial tackles in dangerous places of the pitch.
Having put in a big shift, Gelson Martins was substituted off for Kevin Volland at the 64th minute. The German forward wasted no time in making an impact on the match by getting a yellow card, and then scoring four minutes later, bringing the scoreline to 2-0 at the 68th minute.
The visitors’ day went from bad to worse, when Wissam Ben Yedder was awarded a penalty at the 84th minute, after a questionable challenge from Presnel Kimpembe in his own box. The skipper stepped up and took his shot for it to be blocked by Donnarumma. The ball deflected and found its way into the back of Paris’ net for the third time in the encounter.
At the end of a solid match, Monaco managed to make it 3-0 against the league’s most formidable side, and move up to seventh place in the Ligue 1 table.
The Monegasques’ next match will be away, against Metz on Sunday, April 3.
All images courtesy of Reuters
