Simon Adingra-inspired Monaco beat Nantes

AS Monaco kept in the race for European football, thanks to a 3-1 win over FC Nantes, secured thanks to three goals in just five minutes.

Adingra at the double

Monaco came into this one as the favourites, and they were the most threatening in the opening exchanges. A combination of some inaccurate finishing from the Principality club, heroic last-ditch interventions, and a couple of Anthony Lopes saves spared Nantes... at least until the 25th minute.

Aleksandr Golovin was the player who pulled the strings in the opening stages. He played in Folarin Balogun, whose left-footed effort was fortuitously deflected just wide of the Nantes goal (8'). There was also some good last-ditch defending from Les Canaris, notably from Chidozie Awaziem, who stooped to head a cross meant for Balogun (13') and then from Fabien Centonze, who was well-placed to prevent Simon Adingra from finishing at the far post (16').

The Sunderland loanee went close again seconds later, but his curled effort was just inches wide of the Nantes goal (18') but Lopes was forced into a huge save just seconds later, with the Portuguese goalkeeper saving spectacularly from a close-range Wout Faes header (19').

FIRST BRACE IN LIGUE 1 FOR SIMON ADINGRA 🇨🇮💫 pic.twitter.com/0cXBRqYZra
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) February 13, 2026

Lopes arguably should have done better with Balogun's next effort, though. Abakar Sylla's miscontrol allowed the USMNT forward to race into the box. His effort was tepid but palmed straight to Adingra, who blasted home from close range (25').

It was as easy as they come for the Ivorian, who got his second just three minutes later. This one was more difficult, but his body shape was excellent to curl into the far corner first time (28'). Then came the third in just five minutes. Captain Denis Zakaria started the move himself by winning the ball back, before then chopping onto his right on the edge of the box and finishing over the top of Lopes (30').

But Nantes would go into half-time with a glimmer of hope at least. Centonze finished emphatically from a Deiver Machado cutback (45+1') and on the stroke of half-time, Abakar Sylla almost cut the lead to just one, but his header was just wide of the target (45+4').

Two goals up but one man down

Another dosage of hope was provided on the 65-minute mark when Golovin was shown red for two quickfire bookings. Prior to that, Nantes had dominated possession in the second half, and Monaco's numerical disadvantage only exaggerated that trend.

But that man advantage and that territorial and possessional dominance was not put to good use, with Kohn going untested in the Monaco goal. For Les Canaris, the damage was done during that crucial five-minute period in the first half. The result sees them still mired in an intense relegation battle at the bottom of Ligue 1 McDonald's.

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