After three frustrating draws in a row, Racing found the way to victory in Ligue 1, winning 1 to 0 against Monaco in a big atmosphere at La Meinau. The people of Strasbourg have exploited their strong points of the moment: a defense which concedes almost no chances, a recurring dangerousness on set pieces and a keen sense of the collective. This success confirms their place at the top of the table. They are four points ahead of 6th Lille.
– The coach Julien Stephan : “The players had a very big game over the whole meeting, fully deserving this victory. Both in the organization, as well as collectively, in the use of the ball and in the intensity, there was a lot of ingredients that allowed us to dominate and logically win the three points. Above all, it’s an additional step in our season, in the sense that it’s the first big one we beat at home. progress and an additional evolution in the construction of this group. It’s a real collective victory for a team that didn’t give up from start to finish”.
– The defender and goalscorer Alexander Djiku :“Frankly, I saw this goal in my dreams and today it’s reality. It’s very good because it gives the team the victory. For the anecdote, yesterday (Saturday) at the training, with MLS (Editor’s note Mathieu Le Scornet, the assistant coach), he gave me two or three small balls to relive the situation in Reims where I took the ball back with my knee. There I put two three volleys and when I scored the goal, I told him it was thanks to him”.
- THE ANALYSIS OF OUR CONSULTANT CLAUDE SPRENG:
Like Jeanricner Bellegarde in Reims, Alexander Djiku played a very full match this Sunday against Monaco and he was also rewarded by scoring a goal, which was sumptuous. On a corner struck by Frédéric Guilbert, deflected first by Ludovic Ajorque, Kevin Gameiro at the far post managed to head in the center for the central defender who, with an acrobatic return, closely deceived the Monegasque goalkeeper Alexander Nübel (23rd minute). Thanks to fourth goal of his Ligue 1 career (one with Bastia, one with Caen and now two with Racing), Alex Djiku offered valuable success to his team. He was also a defensive rock for 90 minutes, invaluable in duels and combat.
THE STAT: 16.
We have often rightly praised the quality of the Strasbourg game, but we must not forget that Racing is the most successful Ligue 1 team. on set pieces. Alexander Djiku scored the 16th goal of the season following a free kick, a corner, a throw-in or a penalty. The last five Strasbourg goals were all scored from set pieces (Djiku therefore against Monaco, Bellegarde in Reims, Diallo and Perrin in Saint-Etienne, Gameiro in Angers).