Recap: Monaco battle back to win in Strasbourg
Match Reports
Down 1-0 with less than fifteen minutes to play, AS Monaco stormed back in Strasbourg to win 3-1, with Eliesse Ben Seghir netting a brace to lift the Principality side into second place in Ligue 1 McDonald's ahead of the international break.
A strong start for the hosts...
With Monaco missing several key players, including veterans Denis Zakaria and Aleksandr Golovin, and coming off a draining trip to Bologna in the UEFA Champions League, it looked as if Liam Rosenior's Racing would have a good chance to stay undefeated at La Meinau this season. With only Emanuel Emegha absent for the hosts, Rosenior was able to field a first-choice eleven and from the off Racing looked threatening on the counter.
Both Emegha's replacement, Sékou Mara and Dilane Bakwa had good chances in the game's first twenty minutes, but Dorde Petrovic had work to do in the Racing goal as well, keeping out Breel Embolo on a one-on-one. Racing's pressure would eventually tell, though, as Guéla Doué found the net just before the half-hour mark, scoring his first career goal in Ligue 1 after a clever ball across the face of goal by Diego Moreira. Bakwa would have another good chance moments later, and when halftime came, Strasbourg held a one-goal lead.
ELIESSE BEN SEGHIR 🇲🇦❤️🔥 pic.twitter.com/qAAF1tMgjG
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) November 9, 2024
But Monaco battle back!
Not wanting to drop points on a weekend where Marseille had already lost, Monaco manager Adi Hütter made decisive changes, bringing on young striker George Ilenikhena at the break. Monaco had the upper hand in the second half's early going, but were unable to break down a Racing defence that was dropping deeper. It would take a penalty, the result of a handball in the box, for the Principality side to draw level, with Ben Seghir calmly slotting the ball past Petrovic.
From there, the hosts seemed to lose their cool, and Monaco went through the gears on their way to what would be a comprehensive win. First, in the final minute of normal time, Maghnes Akliouche set up his fellow academy product, Ben Seghir, with a fine cross that the Morocco international wasted no time in dispatching. Then it was the turn of the substitute Ilenikhena, the teenager doubling his side's lead just moments later. Strasbourg pushed for a response, but the match would end there, with Monaco's 3-1 win their first victory in the league since winning in Rennes more than a month ago.
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