Monaco moved up to second place in Ligue 1 after a 2-1 comeback victory over Nice at Stade Louis II in the Derby de la Côte d’Azur, preventing their opponents from completing their first league double in this fixture since the 2004/05 season in the process.
The hosts had a golden chance to take the lead inside five minutes when visiting midfielder Benjamin Santamaria’s poorly chosen pass caused his goalkeeper Marcin Bułka to be rushed into a clearance which allowed Monaco to regain possession, with Santamaria consequently catching Breel Embolo from behind and conceding a penalty.
However, Mika Biereth, so prolific following his transfer from Sturm Graz in January, saw his spot-kick aimed low to Bułka’s left saved by the Pole, who crucially stuck out a right boot to clear as Biereth moved in to try and bury the rebound.
Not long afterwards, the lively Takumi Minamino almost put Monaco in front, curling an effort against the crossbar, while at the other end, just before the half-hour mark, Caio Henrique made a timely intervention to thwart Nice’s talisman Evann Guessand.
Maghnes Akliouche then had the opportunity to make it 1-0, but his first-time shot was straight at Bulka, and Nice duly punished Monaco’s earlier wastefulness, as Jonathan Clauss’ pinpoint cross was headed in superbly by Jeremie Boga.
Monaco head coach Adi Hutter was encouraged enough by his side’s first-half display not to make any changes at the break, and he was rewarded for his patience on 55 minutes as Lamine Camara’s incisive pass found Akliouche, whose clever flick was powered home by Biereth, making amends for his earlier penalty error with his 12th Ligue 1 goal in just his 10th appearance in the competition.
Akliouche soon had the chance to turn the game on its head after being fed by Biereth, but again, his strike was too close to Bulka, before referee Jerome Brisard then became embroiled in a VAR controversy, choosing to uphold his decision not to give a penalty for Dante’s challenge on Breel Embolo.
Embolo brushed off that disappointment though to score what proved to be the winner as Akliouche capitalised on a slip by Dante to find the Switzerland international, who manoeuvred his body effectively to keep the ball before firing home with aplomb.
After that 73rd-minute goal, Monaco did not face much of a Nice fightback, and after Dante was given a straight red card in stoppage time for clipping Akliouche as the last man, Hütter’s men have now taken 10 points from their last four games ahead of a trip next Saturday to Brest, while Nice will look to end what is now a three-match winless run when they host Nantes a day earlier.
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