Monaco – Lille: Monaco fall short of the occasion as Lille move closer to the Champions League (0-1)
Certainly not the most entertaining match of the weekend, but Lille made a huge statement in the race for the Champions League by beating AS Monaco 1-0 away from home on the penultimate Ligue 1 matchday. Monaco now sit five points behind their opponents and are now unable to quality for the Champions League.
Tactical analysis and match report by André Martins.
For a match carrying this much importance and featuring so many talented players, far more intensity, chances, and chaos were expected. Instead, the game turned into a rather poor and timid encounter, marked by technical mistakes and tactical shortcomings that prevented both teams from becoming truly dangerous. Perhaps less surprising when looking at Monaco’s recent form coming into the game: just two wins in their last five matches before this one.
But let’s start from the beginning. Sébastien Pocognoli lined his team up in their usual 3-4-3 shape, with Christian Mawissa, Thilo Kehrer, and captain Denis Zakaria in front of goalkeeper Lukáš Hrádecký. In midfield, a double pivot of Lamine Camara and Aladji Bamba, flanked by Jordan Teze and Simon Adingra as wingbacks. Aleksandr Golovin and wonderkid Maghnes Akliouche supported striker Folarin Balogun, scorer of thirteen Ligue 1 goals this season.
Lille, on the other hand, started in a 4-2-3-1 system, with Berke Özer in goal behind a back four of Romain Perraud, Aïssa Mandi, Nathan Ngoy, and Thomas Meunier. Benjamin André and Ayyoub Bouaddi formed the double pivot, while Félix Correia, Hákon Arnar Haraldsson, and Ngal’ayel Mukau operated behind Matías Fernández-Pardo.
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