AS Monaco make it four in a row with big win against Rennes

Philippe Clement’s AS Monaco have crucially won their fourth game in a row, having beaten third place Rennes away, in a thrilling Ligue 1 encounter on the evening of Friday, April 15.

For this very important fixture, Clement played an almost identical starting line-up to the one that won the previous match in Troyes, with the exception of Kevin Volland starting alongside Wissam Ben Yedder up front.

The hosts had the first laugh of the match, as Flavien Tait opened the scoring for Rennes at the third minute. Volland came close to equalising five minutes later, but his lobbed shot was just off target.

Monaco did not leave their supporters waiting too much longer for the equaliser, as a rapid counter attack saw Vanderson score on a tidy assist from Aleksandr Golovin to bring the scoreline level at only the 12th minute. Thereafter, the momentum of the match appeared to slow, with no change to the score despite a handful of attempts by Ben Yedder.

Rennes came worryingly close to claiming the lead at the beginning of the second half of the match, but it would be Ben Yedder who would instead claim the lead for the visiting Monegasques by scoring with a shot across goal at the 57th minute.

It was then up to an attentive Alexander Nübel to defend the lead, and the German goalie stood up on this occasion by saving a strike at the 72nd minute.

Shortly thereafter, Myron Boadu doubled the visitor’s lead down, with the Dutch forward scoring from close range at the 77th minute.

This goal provided an extra level of comfort for Monaco towards the end of the match. Just as it all seemed to be over, Rennes were awarded a penalty, and converted it to bring the scoreline to 2-3, three minutes into overtime.

However, Monaco held on until the end to claim their fourth consecutive victory, and one of crucial importance in their fight to climb the Ligue 1 ladder as the end of the season slowly approaches.

Clement and his men will be looking to maintain their winning momentum, as they prepare to face Nice in the Côte d’Azur derby at the Stade Louis II on Wednesday, April 20.