At four matches from the end, victories and defeats are very costly. After a 4-1 defeat on Paris FC’s field and a frustrating 2-2 draw at home against Auxerre, AS Monaco had to bounce back with a win this Saturday in Toulouse. Following Lyon’s victory earlier on Saturday, a positive result became even more vital. To do so, Sebastien Pocognoli decided to field a competitive eleven with an attacking lineup of Fati-Balogun-Akliouche-Adingra. On the other side, Toulouse, with nothing to play for until the end of the season, still wanted to cause trouble. However, their start to the match was completely off.
Facing Monaco, who showed more desire and technical skill, Toulouse logically conceded the opening goal. After a great save in front of Akliouche (5th minute), Guillaume Restes couldn’t do anything against Jordan Teze’s opportunistic header (0-1, 6th minute). With the momentum on their side, ASM kept attacking. After a good attempt by Simon Adingra (14th minute), Lamine Camara extended the lead for Monaco with a superb strike from outside the box that found the top corner (2-0, 18th minute). Dominant in the first half-hour with an inspired Akliouche, the Principality club slightly eased off but went into halftime with a logical lead.
Monaco was punished by Toulouse in the second half. The rise in power of TFC was felt, as Monaco appeared less inspired compared to the first half, with Balogun stifled by the Toulouse defense. The Monégasques stopped playing and, as they kept retreating, Pocognoli’s men were punished. After a well-worked quick attack, Methalie delivered a perfect cross to Russell-Rowe, who only had to tap it in (1-2, 62nd minute). Despite Paul Pogba coming on late in the game, ASM couldn’t hold onto the lead. Emersonn, who had just entered the game, took advantage of a scramble in the box to score from close range (2-2, 90th minute). In a frenetic end to the game, Toulouse came close to completely turning the match around, reminiscent of their loss to Lens last week (3-2). With this draw, Monaco most likely bids farewell to the podium, falling six points behind Lyon and registering a third consecutive winless match in the top flight. Monaco is seventh, while Toulouse, with this strong response, temporarily climbs to 10th place.
Published on 25/04/2026 at 10:58 PM – Updated on 26/04/2026 at 08:21 AM
