AS Monaco put on a show at a packed Stade Louis II on Sunday, April 7, winning a well-fought fixture at home for the first time since December 3, 2023.
The shots started flying after a slow start to the first half, and Monaco goalkeeper Radeck Majecki stepped up to the challenge, making a handful of mighty saves to keep a clean sheet.
The Monegasques’ repeated efforts were finally rewarded when Ismail Jakobs squared the ball into the path of Maghnes Akliouche, who finished from point blank range to the delight of the home supporters, bringing the score to 1-0 at the 25th minute. A few close calls followed but the score remained the same at halftime.
Rennes’ Martin Terrier made a very clumsy challenge on Akliouche just one minute into the second half, putting his studs into the Monaco midfielder. An attentive Ms. Frappart dismissed Terrier from the pitch with a direct red card, taking the visiting side down to 10 men with half the match to go.
A little while later Aleksandr Golovin almost doubled the hosts’ lead with a beautifully curved shot headed into the top corner, but tipped away by Steve Mandanda. Shortly thereafter, Monaco defender Thilo Kehrer got a second yellow and a subsequent red card, meaning that both sides were now level in numbers.
Substitutions followed but ultimately did not have an impact on the scoreline, which still stood at 1-0 when the final whistle blew, signalling the first home win of 2024 for the Monegasques and three important points in the fight to climb the Ligue 1 table as the end of the season draws near.
Featured image courtesy of AS Monaco: Maghnes Akliouche celebrates his goal
