And the slump continues
Monaco keep struggling with home loss to Angers
PARIS: Monaco did not have a single shot on target and slumped to a 1-0 loss to Angers in the Ligue 1 on, remaining winless at their home ground since May.
With just six points from seven games, Monaco are already lagging 12 points behind leaders Paris St Germain, who have a perfect record in the French League.
Monaco were runners- up behind PSG last season but have been hampered by injuries in recent weeks and the hole left by Fabinho’s departure to Liverpool during the offseason has not been filled.
In the absence of the rock-solid defensive midfielder, centrebacks Kamil Glick and Jemerson have been struggling.
After Djibril Sidibe could not stop Flavien Tait down the left flank in the 27th minute, Jemerson deflected the ball into Stephane Bahoken’s path and the Angers forward found the net with a composed finish.
Monaco improved a bit after the interval but could not create dangerous chances, extending their winless run to seven matches in all competitions.
The Principality side were denied a penalty in the closing stages after Vincent Pajot handled the ball in the area but referee Willy Delajod ruled he did it inadvertently after checking with the video assisted referee (VAR).
The result lifted Angers to ninth place in the standings, four points above Monaco.
Nantes also failed to shake up their poor form and lost 2-1 to Nice at home, remaining one point behind Monaco.
Patrick Vieira’s side handed the eight-time champions their fourth defeat in seven matches, putting coach Miguel Cardoso under more pressure.
Cardoso’s changes to his team did not pay off as his players lacked imagination and exposed themselves to counter-attacks.
Christophe Jallet put the visitors in front in the 31st minute from Allan Saint-Maximin’s assist and Jean-Christophe Makengo scored a second-half winner after Emiliano Sala put the teams level.
St Etienne continued their resurgence to provisionally climb into third place with a 3-2 win at Toulouse.
It was St Etienne’s second straight win after picking up just three points in their previous four games.
St Etienne goalkeeper Stephane Ruffier made a decisive save in stoppage time to deny Ibrahim Sangare’s header after Jimmy Durmaz pulled one back for Toulouse with a superb curled kick at the far post from the edge of the area. — AP