Former AS Monaco phenom Kylian Mbappé scored twice as Real Madrid thrashed Monaco 6-1 in the Champions League to condemn Les Monegasques to another disappointing defeat under the eyes of President Dmitry Rybolovlev, who was watching the match alongside Real Madrid President Florentino Pérez.
The match
For this colossal European encounter at the Santiago Bernabéu, Sébastien Pocognoli went for an attacking four-at-the-back shape, with Ansu Fati, Folarin Balogun, Maghnes Akliouche and Aleksandr Golovin making up an exciting offensive quartet.
© AS Monaco
Monaco’s nightmare began early in front of roughly 2,500 Monaco fans as Real Madrid struck within five minutes, with Mbappé delivering the opening blow. Franco Mastantuono surged down the right flank before picking out Federico Valverde, who laid the ball off for Mbappé to sweep his finish into the bottom corner.
Monaco looked to reply straight away, with Balogun breaking forward on the counter but dragging his effort wide of the target. Moments later, Mastantuono squandered another opportunity for Madrid (9’).
© AS Monaco
Real Madrid controlled the ball, but AS Monaco posed a threat whenever they ventured upfield. Caio Henrique whipped in a dangerous cross that found Ansu Fati, though the forward’s strike sailed over (19’). Two minutes after, Philipp Köhn reacted sharply to deny an inadvertent deflection from Eric Dier.
Madrid flexed their muscles again when a swift counter allowed Mbappé to tap home his second from close range, doubling Real’s advantage (26’).
Monaco refused to surrender, and Jordan Teze almost pulled one back with a thunderous attempt that shook the crossbar (31’). The visitors continued to press, but Thibaut Courtois was equal to efforts from Akliouche and the American striker (36’ and 42’). Real Madrid had a chance to enhance their lead ahead of the interval, but Jude Bellingham’s header flew over in added time.
© AS Monaco
Following the break, Real Madrid seized control as Mastantuono bagged Los Blancos’ third with a precise low drive (51’). Four minutes later, disaster hit for Monaco when Thilo Kehrer turned the ball into his own net. Vinícius Júnior then curled a sublime finish into the top corner (63’) to make it five.
Aleksandr Golovin briefly threatened a response, testing the Real Madrid keeper (57’), before Teze capitalised on a defensive error to grab a consolation goal for the Principality outfit (72’).
Substitute George Ilenikhena nearly clawed another back when his powerful blast rattled the post (78’), but Bellingham completed the scoring shortly after, beating Köhn to extend the scoreline to 6-1.
Pocognoli’s debrief
“Beyond the match statistics, I have many regrets about the first half because we had the space to execute the game plan we had in mind. Real Madrid gave us the opportunity to have the ball, to exploit their lines, which is why we fielded this starting eleven. There are no regrets about our approach to the match, which we approached with optimism and respect for the qualities we have available with our creative players,” reflected the Belgian manager.
© AS Monaco
“We had chances, but unfortunately, we failed to capitalise due to poor decisions, poor technical execution or a lack of courage at times. As a result, we lost possession far too often, leaving ourselves vulnerable to counterattacks against players of immense quality. The strategy for the second half was to replicate this tactic, but we repeated the same mistakes and conceded 80% of our goals due to poor decisions or situations where we were completely untroubled.
“I can look straight ahead and tell myself that we’re doing our best right now, even though it’s difficult. I’m fully committed, and at some point, the results will come back. I hope it will be with me, because I think I have the strength and the conviction that my ideas will eventually be implemented at this club. If we believe in it together, we’ll do it. Now, my future is not up to me. In any case, I wouldn’t change anything I’ve done so far and the way I manage things, because I think if I had managed differently, we might be in an even more difficult situation.”
Key stats
By the numbers, the fact Real Madrid held the ascendancy in terms of expected goals (3.94 to 1.55), total shots (25 to 20), shots inside the box (20 to 13) and touches in the box (36 to 33) illustrated what a tough night at the office this was for ASM.
© AS Monaco
Response needed
Monaco must rapidly regroup for Saturday’s Ligue 1 trip to Le Havre before hosting Juventus at the Stade Louis-II in a crucial Champions League clash. Sitting 20th with nine points, ASM need a victory against the Italian giants if they’re to have any hopes of securing their playoff spot.