A heavily rotated AS Monaco side fell to a bruising 4–0 defeat away at RC Lens in their final Ligue 1 match of the season, but the result did little to dampen celebrations. Despite the loss, the Principality club sealed a third-place finish and a return to Champions League football next season.
With qualification already secured following last week’s decisive win over Lyon, head coach Adi Hütter opted for wholesale changes at the Stade Bollaert-Delelis. Youth took centre stage, with 17-year-old George Ilenikhena leading the line and Takumi Minamino wearing the captain’s armband in a restructured attack that also featured Krépin Diatta and Eliesse Ben Seghir.
The visitors started brightly enough, creating early chances through Minamino and Ben Seghir. But Lens struck first, with Neil El Aynaoui heading in the opener on 21 minutes. A second from Koyalipou was chalked off after VAR spotted a foul in the build-up, offering Monaco a brief reprieve.
However, Monaco’s evening soon unravelled. Reduced to ten men after Soungoutou Magassa saw red just seven minutes into the second half, the floodgates opened. El Aynaoui grabbed his brace minutes later before Lens added two more to complete a dominant showing.
Despite the thumping, the outcome proved irrelevant to the standings. With Marseille failing to leapfrog them, Monaco locked in third place – marking the club’s 31st podium finish in Ligue 1, a national record. They will now enter the group stage of the UEFA Champions League this autumn, their eighth appearance in the competition’s modern format.
The result brings down the curtain on a turbulent yet ultimately successful campaign for the Red and Whites, who now turn their attention to rebuilding for a European challenge next season.
