Folarin Balogun capped a good weekend for Monaco as he scored his first goal since his injury crisis to help the Principality to a win over Saint-Etienne and keep them in a slight advantage for a Champions League spot.
Saint-Etienne 1-3 Monaco
Monaco’s pursuit of locking down a spot for next season’s Champions League took a boost on Saturday as they claimed all three points over Saint-Etienne at Stade Geoffroy-Guichard.
Folarin Balogun started and played the full 90 for Les Monegasques, completing 71 percent of his passes, winning five duels, making a tackle, and taking three shots.
The visitors jumped out to the lead within two minutes of the contest when Maghnes Akliouche was left unmarked on the far right side of the post to steer the ball home from Caio Henrique’s cross.
Saint-Etienne bounced back in the 65th minute to level the score. Zuriko Davitashvili was able to gather the ball from his teammate Florian Tardieu to blast a shot from the 18-yard box into the back of the net. The tie would end momentarily as Monaco retook the lead three minutes later through Moatasem Al Musrati. The Libyan international would pounce on the loose ball to deliver a long-range strike.
Balogun would finally get his goal in the 78th minute when he beat Saint-Etienne’s offside trap to run on a pass from Akliouche and bury his shot past goalkeeper Gautier Larsonneur. It was the striker’s first goal since Oct. 5, 2024.
Monaco sits in third place in the standings with 58 points, just ahead of Nice, Lille, and Strasbourg.
Notes
Mark McKenzie served a one-game suspension for Toulouse as the team scored a late goal to seal a 2-1 win over Rennes.
Jordan Pefok started and played 65 minutes for Reims in their 1-0 defeat to Nice. The team remains five points above the relegation playoff spot.
Tanner Tessmann was a late-game substitute in Lyon’s 2-1 defeat to Lens. Les Gones have an outside chance of qualifying for a European spot, but will need results go in their favor with two games remaining in the season.
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