AS Monaco were left ruing missed chances after a dominant yet fruitless display against Tottenham Hotspur ended in a 0–0 draw at a sold-out Stade Louis-II. Despite racking up 23 attempts on goal, the Red and Whites were unable to find a way past an inspired Guglielmo Vicario — though they did at least secure their first clean sheet of the season.
In Sébastien Pocognoli’s Champions League debut as head coach, Monaco stuck to their attacking 3-4-3 system, with Folarin Balogun returning to lead the line alongside Ansu Fati and Maghnes Akliouche. The hosts flew out of the blocks, with Balogun twice denied by Vicario and Fati’s clever through ball intercepted at the last moment. Spurs, meanwhile, offered little going forward, with Micky van de Ven’s wayward header their only real threat of the first half.
After the break, Monaco continued to dictate the tempo. Substitute Aleksandr Golovin nearly marked his return with a trademark strike, only for Vicario to produce another superb save. Thilo Kehrer and Takumi Minamino both came agonisingly close as the pressure mounted, but the breakthrough never came.
Tottenham clung on in the closing stages and even threatened a late smash-and-grab before Christian Mawissa’s timely intervention denied Brennan Johnson. In the end, Pocognoli’s men were left with just a point — but also plenty of positives, not least their defensive solidity and collective intent.
Monaco will look to build on this performance when they travel to Norway to face Bodø/Glimt on November 4, after a Ligue 1 clash with Toulouse this weekend.
