The roar of the crowd at Stadium de Toulouse turned bittersweet for AS Monaco fans on Saturday, March 8 as their team let a hard-fought lead slip away in the dying seconds, settling for a 1-1 draw against Toulouse FC in Ligue 1’s 25th matchday. For a squad riding high on four straight home wins, this road clash was a chance to kickstart their 2025 away campaign—and it almost worked.
The Red and Whites came out swinging. Just 17 minutes in, Takumi Minamino fired them ahead, slotting home a slick pass from Maghnes Akliouche after a high press tore Toulouse apart. The Japanese striker, now with three goals in four league games, looked like he’d set the tone for another Monaco masterclass. Earlier, Mika Biereth had the crowd buzzing with a close call at the fourth minute, only to see a later effort chalked off for offside. The attack kept humming—Akliouche and Biereth linked up again at the 21st, and Lamine Camara nearly doubled the lead off a pinpoint cross five minutes later.
Coach Adi Hütter, sticking with the same lineup that tamed Stade de Reims, had reason to feel confident. The backline, anchored by the Kehrer-Mawissa duo and flanked by Brazilian wingbacks, held firm. Up top, Biereth and Breel Embolo kept the pressure on. Monaco, who’d beaten Toulouse in their last three visits and dominated them 2-0 earlier this season, seemed poised to roll over the mid-table Violets once more.
But the second half turned scrappy. Midfield battles bogged down the pace, and chances dried up. Toulouse’s Franck Magri tested Monaco’s resolve with a header at the 69th, only for goalkeeper Radeck Majecki to claw it away. Biereth fired back a minute later, but his shot veered wide. As the clock ticked down, Monaco pushed for a clincher—Camara’s long-range blast at the 87th stung the keeper’s hands, and substitute Wilfried Singo rattled the post with a towering header a minute later.
Then came the gut punch. In the 91st minute, with victory in sight, Magri pounced on a rare Toulouse break, levelling the score at 1-1. Monaco’s hearts sank. Majecki had to pull off one last heroics, denying Zajc’s header to salvage a point. The whistle blew, and the Red and Whites trudged off, their dominance undone by a single, stinging moment.
“It’s a tough one to swallow,” one fan muttered outside the stadium, summing up the mood. After bossing the game, Monaco’s road woes persist. They’ll get another shot on Saturday, March 15 at Angers, but for now, this draw feels more like a defeat.
