After a draw against Marseille in the previous match, Philippe Clement was looking for a win against AJ Auxerre on the evening of Wednesday, February 1 at the Stade Louis II.
Team captain Wissam Ben Yedder was the first to find the back of the net, ever endearing himself to the home supporters with yet another goal in red and white, this time from close range to open the scoring 1-0 at the 11th minute.
Careful to not become complacent after that early goal, Monaco kept up the pressure, and found another goal before long. Silky smooth passing saw the ball move up the pitch and onto the feet of youngster Eliesse Ben Seghir, who struck it from afar with a degree of technical accuracy beyond his years, only to find the back of the net in front of the Monaco ultras to make it 2-0 to the hosts all at the 30th minute.
Auxerre managed to get on back to slim down the Monégasques’ lead to 2-1 at the 65th minute. However, the visitors weren not safe as a well-rested Breel Embolo had just entered the pitch as a substitute for his skipper. The Swiss striker then scored at the 82nd minute to make Monaco more comfortable again.
Another Auxerre goal two minutes later would prove only to be a consolation in the end, as the final whistle blew to mark a 3-2 win for Monaco.
Currently standing in fourth place in the Ligue 1 table, Clement and co’ will be searching for a further three points in their match against Clermont Foot away on Sunday, February 5.
Featured image: Eliesse Ben Seghir
