Monaco win the derby with Breel-y great performance
There was plenty on the line for the two sides heading into the French Riviera derby after disappointing starts to the season had them both level on five points after five games. The electric atmosphere riled up the Nice players who came flying out of the blocks and saw chances for Nicolas Pépé and Youcef Atal well saved early on. New signing Pépé looked the most threatening player on the pitch, stinging the palms of Alexander Nübel with an impressive volley just shy of the half hour mark. It took a while for Monaco to get going, their best chance of the half coming shortly before half time when Aleksandr Golovin narrowly curled his shot round the post to keep the score at 0-0 at HT.
Monaco started the half the stronger of the two sides and should have taken the lead first through Golovin who hit the post and then Krépin Diatta who saw his effort trickle just wide of the post from a promising position. The veteran defender Dante then tested Nübel from close range with a sweetly struck volley but the keeper did well to keep the ball out of the net. The game became more open as the half progressed and Youssouf Fofana thought he had capitalised on that when his effort found the back of the net but VAR intervened to pull it back for offside.
The visitors' pressure paid off as they broke the deadlock soon after - Embolo did brilliantly to get on the end of Caio Henrique’s cross and head home his second of the season to make it 1-0. Nice appeared shell shocked after going behind, really struggling to get hold of the ball and threaten the opposition in the final third. Monaco did brilliantly to see out the remainder of the game to claim all three points and move themselves up to tenth in the table, while Nice slipped down to 16th.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Breel Embolo (Monaco)