ASM is doing very well. Led from the first act and long tasteless, the players of the Rock snatched the draw (1-1) against PSV Eindhoven, Tuesday August 2, in the first leg of the third preliminary round of the Champions League. Axel Disasi limited the damage in the last minutes, allowing the Monegasques to stay alive after a thrilling last quarter of an hour.
Nice reaction from our Red & Whites who fought hard in the second half to get the equaliser.
Everything will be decided in Eindhoven next Tuesday.
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‣ 1-1 #ASMPSV pic.twitter.com/cVK8WveccF
– AS Monaco (@AS_Monaco) August 2, 2022
We had left Monaco starving, crunching one by one each of his opponents with a mental steel. Two and a half months after the cruel epilogue in Ligue 1, ASM has not lost its appetite. From their first match of the season, the club from the Principality was able to sublimate itself in critical moments to save appearances. This last quarter of an hour of madness resulted in the capital goal of Diasi, on the fallout of a free kick from Ismail Jakobs (80th).
A tasteless face for 75 minutes
Monaco, carried by its entrants Gerson Martins and Sofiane Diop, even multiplied the assaults on the cage of Walter Benitez, until touching the wood by Youssouf Fofana (89th). On arrival, this unexpected draw ten minutes earlier even bordered on the taste of unfinished business.
But Philippe Clément will probably not forget that the ASM showed an insipid face for 75 minutes. Rookie Takumi Minamino’s teammates have long been sometimes clumsy, sometimes harmless. The Nippon, for his first outing, tried to guide his people. But when he wasn’t lacking in juice, his poor choices failed to create chances. His associates Ben Yedder and Volland also did not weigh.
It is probably no coincidence that the best situation in the first act was created out of order, on a shot from Youssouf Fofana blocked by a Batavian hand (32nd). With the help of VAR, the referee, Davide Massa, judged the gesture involuntary and did not award a penalty.
In reality, the whole offensive animation was thwarted by a perfectly organized PSV. Playing against, Ruud van Nistelrooy’s team opened the scoring with a strike from Joey Veermann (37th) following good work from behind Luuk de Jong’s goal. The Dutch then had several chances to double the lead.
The control tower Ibrahim Sangaré deployed his meter ninety-one to rake many balloons in midfield. As an unfortunate coincidence, the PSV also plunged at the exit of the ex-Toulousain (77th), suitable for recovery.
The result remains decent for the Dutch, but it would have been better if the away goals rule remained in place. As it is, the parity score resets the counters to zero. Everything will be decided in the return match, next Tuesday in the Netherlands. In the event of a draw in Eindhoven next Tuesday, an extension will decide between the two teams. The ASM would do well without it, so as not to weigh down an already busy month of August. Before the return, the Monegasques will indeed resume current affairs with a perilous trip to Strasbourg, Saturday afternoon, on the occasion of the first day of Ligue 1.