Monaco turned a shaky start into a statement win on Saturday evening, coming from behind to beat Metz 5-2 at the Stade Louis-II on Matchday 5 of Ligue 1. New signing Ansu Fati stole the show on his first appearance in front of the home crowd, scoring twice in the second half to ignite the Red and Whites’ comeback.
Watched by club president Dmitry Rybolovlev, Adi Hütter’s men were keen to bounce back after their midweek European defeat in Bruges. But it was Metz who struck first, Habib Diallo punishing the hosts on 13 minutes. Goalkeeper Philipp Köhn then separated Monaco further trouble with a fine save from Koffi Kouao.
The wake-up call jolted the Principality side into action. Mika Biereth leveled the score in the 28th minute, finishing smartly from Takumi Minamino’s assist. The Danish striker almost doubled his tally before the break, only to be denied by Metz goalkeeper Jonathan Fischer.
Hütter wasted no time in the second half, bringing on Ansu Fati, and the move paid off instantly. With his very first touch, the Spaniard tucked home a Lamine Camara cross to put Monaco ahead (46′). The visitors responded with grit, equalizing from the penalty spot through Gauthier Hein (67′).
But Monaco had another gear. Fati restored the lead with a deft header from Krépin Diatta’s delivery (83′), before an own goal from Kouao (86′) and a stoppage-time strike from George Ilenikhena (90+3′) sealed a convincing win.
The result puts Monaco level on 12 points with PSG, Lyon and Strasbourg at the top end of the table. Next up is a tricky trip to Lorient on Saturday evening, where the Red and Whites will look to keep their momentum rolling.
