Despite a strong dominance in this match, played as part of Matchday 31 in Ligue 1, the Rouge et Blanc were surprised by the Normans before coming back to level at the end of the match, to finally concede a draw (1-1).
They tried hard, but lacked a finishing touch. Although dominating the match at the Stade Océane, AS Monaco’s players were pushed back by Le Havre’s opening goal, before snatching a draw in the second half, thanks to Mika Biereth’s 13th goal of 2025 (1-1).
The Rouge et Blanc approached this crucial match for the race for the Champions League with the ambition of copying their impressive results at home in 2025 (6 wins, 1 draw) on the road. But also with suspicion, facing a Norman team fighting for its survival, and which had taken time to break down in the reverse fixture (3-1).
The XI
To start this duel, Adi Hütter decided to keep a large part of his current 4-4-2 structure, with two small changes in the eleven compared to the draw against Strasbourg (0-0). Thilo Kehrer started alongside Wilfried Singo in defense, while Eliesse Ben Seghir lined up on the left flank.
The scenario
This match of extremes began with a lively Monaco away end cheering on their side, with more than 600 supporters waving a magnificent tifo. They urged on Vanderson’s teammates, who got the first chance thanks to some superb work from Embolo in the area (3′). The same situation happened 15 minutes later, when the Brazilian found the Swiss striker with a header (17′).
The Normands show their clinical touch
Unfortunately, on Le Havre’s first real opportunity, Hassan Koka headed home a cross from Mwanga perfectly to open the scoring (1-0, 22′). The Monegasques tried to react and Biereth managed to find Maghnes Akliouche in the area, and his half-volley went wide (34′). The first half, marked by many technical duels, ended with two off-target attempts from Soumaré (43′) and Zakaria (45′).
Change of players and changes in form
Adi Hütter’s men returned with good intentions following the introduction of Minamino and Al-Musrati, who took his mark from range (46′). The Rouge et Blanc captain was then found behind the defence by Vandi, but Gorgelin made a good save (54′). The Rouge et Blanc pressed hard, and the Japanese came close to beating the Le Havre goalkeeper with a good pass from Mika Biereth (60′).
MikaGOAL equalizes
It was only a matter of time, though, as on the next move, the Dane capitalized on a deflected shot from Vanderson to score his 13th league goal this season (1-1, 61st minute)! Mika “The Fox” was then found again following a nice pass from Breel Embolo, but Gorgelin deflected it (72′). Time was running out and Philipp Köhn was called into action by André Ayew (85′). Meanwhile, the Austrian coach brought on Folarin Balogun, who made his mark immediately with a beautiful curling shot that was deflected for a corner (87′).
But despite a few final Monaco incursions, and after a final header from Mwanga for the Normans side (93′), the two teams shared the spoils of the match at the Stade Océane (1-1). They will have to start the assault on the three points again next weekend in Saint-Étienne.
Source: www.asmonaco.com
