A solo strike from Wilfried Singo gave Monaco a narrow 1-0 Champions League win over Aston Villa on Tuesday night.
Unai Emery challenged his players to become the “protagonist” of this season Champions League. They struggled to fill the lead at Stade Louis-II this midweek, falling behind in an early and deserved opener.
Emi Martinez did well to deny Thilo Kehrer's thunderous header from a corner in the eighth minute but was powerless as Singo pounced to pile the hosts in front.
of Premier League the visitors gradually eased their way back into the contest, which was fittingly watched in the principality by Prince William, a staunch Villa fan. This royal connection proved to be the setting for a rare John Duran outing alongside Ollie Watkins.
Villa's two strikers, who have scored double figures already this season, hardly ever appear on the pitch together. However, it was the bold approach that Emery reversed ten minutes into the second half as he desperately searched for a way back into this league stage clash.
However, both Watkins and Duran struggled to make an impact against a Monaco side that was increasingly inclined to sit back and strike. villa on the counter, collecting only a single shot each.
The defeat leaves Villa with 13 points from seven Champions League games – the same number as their victorious hosts. It remains to be seen what position that will put them in by the end of this week's penultimate round of league stage fixtures, but both sides will still be very much in contention to finish in one of the eight the best places that guarantee automatic qualification to the round. from 16
|
Player |
ASSESSMENT |
|---|---|
|
GC: Radoslav Majecki |
8.8/10 |
|
RB: Vanderson |
7.7/10 |
|
CB: Wilfried Singo |
8.7/10 |
|
CB: Thilo Kehrer |
8.1/10 |
|
LB: Christian Mawissa |
7.1/10 |
|
CM: Denis Zakaria |
6.9/10 |
|
CM: Lamine Camara |
7.5/10 |
|
AM: Takumi Minamino |
7.2/10 |
|
RW: Maghnes Akliouche |
7.0/10 |
|
ST: Breel Embolo |
6.9/10 |
|
LW: Eliesse Ben Seghir |
6.9/10 |
|
UNDER: Aleksandr Golovin (65' for Ben Seghir) |
6.6/10 |
|
UNDER: Soungoutou Magassa (65' for Camara) |
6.9/10 |
|
UNDER: Jordan Teze (78' for Zakaria) |
6.1/10 |
|
UNDER: Lucas Michal (78' for Minamino) |
6.0/10 |
Subs not used: Philipp Kohn (GK), Yann Lienard (GK), Caio Henrique, Kassoum Ouattara, Krepin Diatta, Mohammed Salisu, Edan Diop, Saimon Boubare
|
Player |
ASSESSMENT |
|---|---|
|
GC: Amy Martinez |
7.2/10 |
|
RB: Matty Cash |
7.8/10 |
|
CB: Ezri Konsa |
6.5/10 |
|
CB: Tyrone Mings |
6.9/10 |
|
LB: Lucas Digne |
7.0/10 |
|
CM: Boubacar camera |
6.9/10 |
|
CM: Youri Tielemans |
6.9/10 |
|
AM: Morgan Rogers |
6.5/10 |
|
RW: Leon Bailey |
6.4/10 |
|
ST: Ollie Watkins |
5.8/10 |
|
LW: Emi Buendia |
6.1/10 |
|
UNDER: John Duran (56' for Bailey) |
5.6/10 |
|
UNDER: Ian Maatsen (67' for Digne) |
6.3/10 |
|
UNDER: Lamare Bogarde (86' for Buendia) |
N/A |
|
UNDER: Jacob Ramsey (86' for Rogers) |
N/A |
Subs not used: Joa Gauci (GK), Robin Olsen (GK), Kosta Nedeljkovic, Sil Swinkels, Kadan Young