AS Monaco were left frustrated on the evening of Friday, January 16, as a promising performance at the Stade Louis-II ultimately ended in a 3–1 defeat to FC Lorient, with the visitors striking twice late on to punish the Red and Whites.
Played in front of His Serene Highness Prince Albert II and club president Dmitry Rybolovlev, the opening fixture of Ligue 1 McDonald’s Matchday 18 saw Monaco control long stretches of the game without managing to turn dominance into points. Lorient, unbeaten in their previous six league outings and already victors in the reverse fixture, showed clinical efficiency when it mattered most.
Determined to restart the league campaign with a win at home, AS Monaco FC started brightly despite a depleted squad. Winter signing Wout Faes was handed his first start in central defence alongside Eric Dier, while Maghnes Akliouche returned to the starting eleven following the Coupe de France win in Orléans.
Monaco made an encouraging start, with early chances falling to Folarin Balogun and Mika Biereth, both dangerous in the air. Lorient gradually grew into the contest, however, and were unlucky not to score through Pagis, whose efforts brushed the post and crossbar in a lively first half. Philipp Köhn was also called into action to deny Dieng, while Lorient saw a goal ruled out for offside shortly before the break.
After the interval, played in increasingly heavy rain, Monaco pressed forward again. Akliouche tested Mvogo with a powerful strike and remained a constant threat, but the breakthrough never came. Instead, it was Lorient who struck first, Dieng finishing well on 68 minutes against the run of play.
Monaco responded positively and were quickly rewarded when substitute Ansu Fati levelled the score, calmly finishing after being played through by Balogun for his sixth league goal of the season. Any hopes of building on that momentum were short-lived, however, as Lorient struck twice in quick succession. Makengo restored the visitors’ lead before Karim added a third to seal the result in the closing minutes.
The defeat leaves Monaco empty-handed despite an encouraging display, and attention now turns quickly to Europe. The Red and Whites will look to put this setback behind them when they host Real Madrid in the Champions League in four days’ time.
