Match Reports
Monaco Stumbles in European Race, Drop Points Against Le Havre
The matchup was crucial, with Monaco looking to keep pace in the race at the top and Le Havre chasing three points to avoid direct relegation and stay clear of the relegation playoff spot.
Le Havre opened the scoring in the 22nd minute after a goal from Ahmed Mahgoub. Issa Soumaré played out wide on the right and delivered a perfect cross to Mahgoub, who rose above everyone and beat Philipp Köhn with a flawless header.
After 45 minutes, the home side took a one-goal lead into halftime. Coming out of the break though, it was Monaco that responded with an equalizer goal thanks to Mika Biereth.
Following a poorly cleared ball by the HAC defense, Vanderson attempted a cross-shot that Mathieu Gorgelin failed to push away. Biereth followed up and finished the job at the back post with an empty net in front of him.
Monaco's Dennis Zakaria spoke to DAZN after the match and noted his disappointment of having dropped two points, understanding that not securing wins in a tight race could be what determines who is playing in a European competition next season.
"We lost two points, we came here to win, to take three points. We knew it was going to be a tough match because they are fighting to stay up. I think we lacked determination. We need to do better. We still have matches to work on and improve. If we want to qualify for the Champions League, we have to do more."
The one point for Le Havre proves valuable as they currently sit one point above AS Saint-Étienne, who are in a direct relegation spot. Didier Digard and his team also trail Angers SCO by two points to climb out of the playoff relegation spot with three Ligue 1 McDonald's matches to go in the season.
The Stat: 17
After coming back from a one-goal deficit, Monaco (17) are the team that has earned the most points in Ligue 1 McDonald's this season, ahead of OL (16).
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