PLAYER RATINGS | Brest 0-2 Monaco: Denis Zakaria and Takumi Minamino goals lift Les Monégasques to second | OneFootball

Ligue 1 Uber Eats, Matchday 30, 21/04/24

AS Monaco beat Stade Brestois (0-2) to leapfrog their opponents into second position in Ligue 1, further consolidate their place on the podium and inflict the hosts to a first defeat at the Stade Francis Le Blé since the end of October.

Only one point separated the sides in the table going into the match and little separated them on the pitch. Chances were at a premium in a tightly contested first half. Whilst Brest had more possession in the first half, it was Monaco who created the better chances.

A flashed ball across the face of the Brest goal from Youssouf Fofana, which wasn’t met by any player, was the closest either side went to scoring prior to Denis Zakaria’s opener. While Brest were claiming a foul from Takumi Minamino on Julien Le Cardinal, Zakaria controlled the ball on the corner of the Brest box, curling a sublime curled effort past Marco Bizot.

Ben Seghir and Singo sent off for Monaco

Monaco returned from the dressing room and sought to quickly put the game to bed. Takumi Minamio broke through but one-on-one, he chose to square the ball – ultimately to no one – rather than shoot himself. However, he took his chance at immediate redemption. Seconds later, he was well placed to turn Krépin Diatta’s cutback past Bizot.

Folarin Balogun had the chance to add a third for Monaco but couldn’t beat Bizot with his chipped effort. Brest, however, were lacking inspiration and only created their first clear chance in the 87th minute with Martin Satriano’s flicked header forcing Radoslaw Majecki into a relatively simple save.

The game ended on a sour note for Monaco with Eliesse Ben Seghir and Wilfried Singo both sent off for off-the-ball altercations in second-half added-time. Regardless, Les Monégasques leapfrog Brest into second. Adi Hütter’s side are nearing qualification for next season’s UEFA Champions League.

Brest player ratings

Marco Bizot – 5

Bradley Locko – 4

Julien Le Cardinal – 6

Le Cardinal, replacing the injured Lilian Brassier, had big boots to fill but he put in a composed performance and notably made a crucial interception in the second half to deny a clear goal.

Brendan Chardonnet – 5

Kenny Lala – 5

Jonas Martin – 6

Hugo Magnetti – 6

Romain Del Castillo – 6

Del Castillo was Brest’s only source of creativity on the day. He caused issues for Diatta and – as always – had exceptional set-piece delivery. His influence waned considerably in the second half with Brest struggling to regain a foothold after conceding the second.

Kamory Doumbia – 3

Martin Satriano – 5

Steve Mounié – 4

Monaco player ratings

Radoslaw Majecki – 6

Mohammed Salisu – 7

Guillermo Maripán – 6

Wilfried Singo – 5

Krépin Diatta – 5

Denis Zakaria – 7

Solid both in and out of possession and always well positioned. He isn’t a great goalscorer but certainly a scorer of great goals. His sublime curled effort is another one for the highlight reel after his rocket of a goal against Nice earlier this year.

Youssouf Fofana – 7

Vanderson – 5

Maghnes Akliouche – 7

Monaco received a blow earlier this week when it was revealed that Aleksandr Golovin would likely miss the end of the season. In his absence, Les Monégasques’ other creators will have to step up, and Akliouche did just that. Brest couldn’t mitigate the France U21 international’s impact on the encounter. Whilst he won’t get the credit for Monaco’s second goal, it was his brilliant reverse pass that sent Diatta to the byline and created the chance.

Takumi Minamino – 6

Folarin Balogun – 6

Whilst he should have done better with his only chance of the match where he tried and failed to chip past Bizot, his overall game and link-up with the two No.10s was flashy but also effective. He was the subject of very close attention from Le Cardinal in particular but the former Arsenal forward nonetheless succeeded in making his mark on the encounter.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle