Conference League: Monaco cruise into league phase
With a 4-1 home win in the second leg of their UEFA Conference League playoff tie against Górnik Zabrze, AS Monaco reached the league phase of the competition for the first time in their history. Get the latest from the Stade-Louis II with the Ligue 1 McDonald's team.
Brunner on the scoresheet again
After a narrow 3-2 win in Poland, in which the Principality side twice had opened a two-goal lead, only two see the hosts keep themselves in the tie, it was all to play for Les Monégasques on Thursday evening. Despite missing key forwards in the absent trio of Ansu Fati, Folarin Balogun and Matthis Abline, Filipe Luis' side turned in an attacking masterclass from start to front, racing out to a 4-0 lead before eventually winning the tie 7-3 on aggregate.
Monaco, playing their first competitive fixture at home this season had the bit between their teeth from the off, and a powerful shot by Denis Zakaria just flashed wide on 12 minutes. The visitors would respond, but it was Paris Brunner, who had scored in the first leg and was causing the Poles' defence plenty of problems with his running, who would break the deadlock on 30 minutes. The German striker found the top corner with a curling effort from just outside the area, hammering home a layoff from Mamadou Coulibaly. 13 minutes later, the midfielder would go from provider to scorer, doubling the lead with a rasping effort from inside the box. Górnik would have the ball in the net on the stroke of halftime, but it was ruled out for a foul in the buildup.
⚽️ Play-offs first leg: GOAL
⚽️ Play-offs second leg: GOAL
Paris Brunner. 20 years old. 🇩🇪💎 pic.twitter.com/nlYRHz5dWx— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) August 27, 2026
Three straight wins for Filipe Luis
Two goals to the good at the break, Monaco wouldn't need long to build on their advantage. Taking advantage of some slack passing at the back, Aleksandr Golovin pounced on a loose ball to beat the goalkeeper all ends up from fifteen meters, making it 3-0 on 50'. Mika Biereth would add a fourth ten minutes from time, and while the Polish side would pull a goal back afterwards, the final result was a comfortable win for Filipe Luis' young side.
Speaking post-match, Luis emphasized the importance of the result, saying, "AS Monaco needs to play in European competition every year; it is a club with a rich history, so this was a must. So, no big celebrations for us tonight, but obviously winning was important, and we saw some good things in this match."
AS Monaco will now find out their opponents in the league phase in tomorrow's draw, before resuming Ligue 1 McDonald's action at the weekend against rivals Olympique de Marseille, who they'll face on Sunday evening at home.
Read more:
>> Freedom & Stability: Filipe Luis making his mark at Monaco
