The Monegasques enjoyed a 3-1 win over visiting side FC Lorient on Sunday, April 16, having dominated the match from start to finish at the Stade Louis II.
Arranged in a 4-4-2 formation with Kevin Volland and Wissam Ben Yedder on the frontline, Philippe Clement’s men did not take their time in getting on the scoreboard. By the 14th minute, Krepin Diatta opened the scoring with a successful close range effort to beat former Monaco goalie Vito Mannone.
A packed Stade Louis II erupted in cheers once more at the 28th minute, as Wissam Ben Yedder found Aleksandr Golovin for another goal to set the Monegasques up with a two-goal advantage going into the locker room at halftime.
Monaco avoided becoming complacent in the second half, in order to avoid losing their comfortable lead in exchange for a draw as they did against Nantes in a 2-2 draw two weeks prior. Instead, Kevin Volland sent the crowd wild with a curled shot from beyond the box and into the top left corner of the Lorient goal, past a helpless Mannone. The goal was set up on a plate by Wissam Ben Yedder, who registered his second assist of the night at the 55th minute.
After an hour of play and with three goals under their belt, Philippe Clement made a triple substitution, injecting youthful energy into an increasingly more exhausting match. Despite this, the only other adjustment to the scoreline would come at the 85th minute, as a questionable call by the referee on a foul by Guillermo Maripán lead to a penalty, which Lorient’s Ibrahima Koné converted to make it 3-1.
The final whistle blew to mark a successful day in the office for Clement and co., as Monaco walk away with three crucial points in the race for European places next season. The next fixture will see Monaco face off against Lens away on Saturday, April 22, who currently sit just above the Principality side in the Ligue 1 table in third place by a difference of just two points.
