Balogun continues red-hot form as Monaco beat Marseille

AS Monaco continued their fine form in Ligue 1 McDonald's with their seventh straight win, beating Marseille 2-1 at the Stade-Louis II to finish Matchday 28. Catch up with all the action from the Principality with our recap.

A battling first half

In the marquee match of the round, and one which had big implications for the race for the Champions League place, Marseille fielded an experimental 3-5-2 without Mason Greenwood. With Igor Paixao as a wingback, and both Amine Gouiri and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, in attack, it was a strong team meant to play on the front foot. As for the hosts, who had Paul Pogba and Eric Dier back in the squad, they were still without key players as well, and were forced to use Mamadou Coulibaly as a makeshift right back, with Denis Zakaria back in central midfield alongside Lamine Camara.

Despite both teams' attacking mindset, it was Marseille who dominated early possession, but Habib Beye's side struggled to break down Monaco's three man defence. The first chance of the half would fall to Monaco as a fine run by Aleksandr Golovin saw a cross met by Akliouche but the French international fired over. Just a minute later, though, l'OM responded through Hamed Traor´e, but he was denied at the near post by Lukás Hrádecky. 

The match continued to simmer, and on 13' Geronímo Rulli had to be quick off his line to deny Akliouche, who did all but score in the first half. On 31 minutes, Gouiri played in Timothy Weah at the edge of area, but the American badly mis-hit his effort. Five minutes later, Hradecky again played the hero, doing well to get off his line and shut down Paixao on a ball over the top. Monaco would have a pair of chances before the break through Christian Mawissa on the counter and a shout for a penalty for a foul on Folarin Balogun by Facundo Medina, but it was waved off.

AS MONACO WITH A HUGE VICTORY OVER MARSEILLE! 🇲🇨⭐️ pic.twitter.com/ReawpILcTm

— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) April 5, 2026

Golovin, Balogun power the hosts

After the interval, Monaco grew into the match, building after an early chance by Paixao from a poorly-cleared corner which was easily saved by Hradecky. On 51', Balogun was again brought down in the box, but Monaco's persistence would pay off just before the hour, with Jordan Teze crossing for Golovin at the back post, and the Russian scoring with a clever volley. Ten minutes later, Traoré would head wide with the goal at his mercy after a good cross from Paixão, and Quinten Timber unleashed a ferocious shot from range, only for Hradecky to save again (72').

Two minutes later, Marseille's profligacy would cost them dearly, as Balogun doubled the lead with a sublime chipped finish. Gouiri would respond with a goal five minutes from time, and Marseille nearly were level on a free kick in the first minute of added time, only for Hradecky to tip the ball over the bar. The hosts could have sealed the result on the counter through substitute Simon Adingra, but we would fire wide. As it was, Monaco would hold on a for a vital win that leaves them level on points, just one behind Lille in third.

The stat: 7

Not only have AS Monaco won this many matches in a row, but it was also the number of saves made by Hrádecky, the veteran continuing to prove his worth since returning from injury.

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