AS Monaco suffered a narrow 2-1 defeat to Olympique de Marseille in a tightly contested match at the Stade Vélodrome on the evening of Sunday, December 1. The Red and Whites, ahead at halftime thanks to a strike from Aleksandr Golovin, were undone by two second-half setbacks in what proved to be a heartbreaking result.
Monaco entered the match looking to extend their lead over Marseille and close the gap on Paris Saint-Germain, who had drawn their previous game. Adi Hütter made four changes to his starting lineup, bringing in Christian Mawissa, Mohammed Salisu, Soungoutou Magassa, and Folarin Balogun. The changes paid off initially, as Monaco started brightly with a dangerous opportunity in the opening minutes.
Golovin put Monaco ahead in the 41st minute with a deflected shot into the near post, marking his second goal in as many matches. However, despite a promising start to the second half, Monaco’s hopes were dashed when Luiz Henrique equalised for Marseille in the 53rd minute after a scramble in the penalty area.
Late in the match, controversy struck when Mawissa was penalised for a handball inside the box. Mason Greenwood stepped up and converted the decisive penalty in the 88th minute, sealing the comeback victory for Marseille.
