Ligue 1 Uber Eats, Matchday 5, 17/09/2023
Romain Faivre netted a dramatic late equaliser against his former club, to earn FC Lorient a point against AS Monaco. Folarin Balogun’s first goal for the Principality club had looked like being the difference.
Monaco are used to going behind away from home this season. They did so against Clermont Foot and FC Nantes but rescued four points combined from those two games. The story repeated itself at Le Moustoir. Tosin Aiyegun, on debut, raced through in just the second minute, latching onto Eli Junior Kroupi’s pass and tucking past Philipp Köhn with a little help from the post.
However, as they have a habit of doing, the Principality club fought back. Adi Hütter’s side quickly took control of the game, and whilst they struggled to create clear-cut chances, Youssuof Fofana unlocked Lorient’s defence with a deft, first-time-chip over the top. Aleksandr Golovin controlled expertly before tucking past Yvon Mvogo.
Fofana tested Mvogo twice early in the second half, and whilst Monaco were timidly knocking at the door, they were far from knocking it down. That changed with Folarin Balogun’s entry. The new signing needed just three minutes to get on the scoresheet, working a shooting position before beating Mvogo from a tight angle.
Monaco looked to have secured the three points but with the last kick of the game, Faivre, against his former club, latched onto Isaak Touré’s knock-down, firing past Köhn to rescue a point.
Monaco player ratings
Philipp Köhn – 5
Soungoutou Magassa – 5
Guillermo Maripán – 5
Wilfried Singo – 4
Caio Henrique – 6
Denis Zakaria – 6
Youssouf Fofana – 7 – The Frenchman has traversed a difficult few months. His form post-World Cup was arguably not befitting of an international level player and one that is a cadre of this Monaco side, but he is beginning to refind his best form. He was confident and composed against Lorient, displaying those line-breaking runs that earned him a place in Didier Deschamps’ side in the first place. His assist for Golovin was sublime and he was also not afraid to try his chance at goal, drawing two saves from Mvogo.
Vanderson – 5
Aleksandr Golovin – 7 – after a subdued start to the season for his standards, he has flourished in the past two games. His control and finish evidenced his
Takumi Minamino – 5 – a quieter performance for the Japanese forward relative to his recent matches. Remained tidy and still a threat.
Wissam Ben Yedder – 4 – Struggled to involve himself in the game for large periods, despite some clever interventions, notably a volley just wide of the Lorient goal from a tight angle. Replaced by Folarin Balogun (7). The USMNT striker needed just three minutes to get on the scoresheet.
