AS Monaco endured a night to forget at the Stade Louis-II, falling 4–1 to RC Lens on Matchday 12 of Ligue 1 on the evening of Saturday, November 8. Reduced to ten men just before half-time, the Red and Whites were overwhelmed by a clinical Lens side, as fatigue from a congested fixture schedule finally caught up with them.
Still buoyed by their midweek Champions League triumph over Bodø/Glimt, Sébastien Pocognoli’s men faced another stern test against third-placed Lens, with President Dmitry Rybolovlev watching on from the stands. The Monaco boss opted for a two-striker system, pairing Folarin Balogun with Mika Biereth, while keeping faith in the midfield duo of Mamadou Coulibaly and Aleksandr Golovin.
The game began brightly for the visitors, as Balogun struck first blood after 21 minutes. Monaco responded with spirit — Balogun again at the heart of things, winning and converting a penalty to level the score in the 37th minute, marking his second goal of the week after his European heroics. But Lens quickly regained control: Wesley Saïd restored their lead three minutes later with a fierce finish, before disaster struck for Monaco.
Balogun, the night’s hero-turned-villain, was shown a straight red card for a late challenge on Mamadou Sangaré just before the break. The visitors made their numerical advantage count almost immediately, with Sangaré himself adding a third in stoppage time to make it 3–1 before the interval.
The second half saw Monaco struggle to contain the relentless Lens attack. Saïd struck again on the hour mark to make it 4–1, effectively killing the contest. Pocognoli introduced Lucas Michal for his season debut and later gave minutes to Denis Zakaria, returning from injury after nearly two months on the sidelines. Despite late efforts from Akliouche and Ansu Fati — who missed a stoppage-time penalty — Monaco never truly looked like mounting a comeback.
A draining week ends in frustration for the Principality side, who will now welcome the upcoming international break as a much-needed chance to reset and recover. Pocognoli’s men return to action on Saturday, November 22, when they travel to Rennes for Matchday 13 — and they’ll need every ounce of energy restored to get their top-three ambitions back on track.
