Wissam Ben Yedder bagged a first-half hat-trick as AS Monaco boosted their top-three hopes with a 7-1 demolition of AC Ajaccio on Sunday. There were also wins for Clermont and FC Nantes.
AS Monaco 7-1 AC Ajaccio
THE MATCH
Monaco came into this game at the Stade Louis II in need of a lift after a disappointing last week. Their elimination from the Coupe de France on penalties by second-tier Rodez was followed by a 2-2 draw at FC Lorient in which they needed a last-gasp equaliser just to earn a draw. But a win for Olympique de Marseille on Sunday meant that Philippe Clément’s team kicked off here eight points adrift of the podium.
Their reaction was impressive. Monaco were two goals up inside six minutes as Axel Disasi tapped in the opener (2’) and then Krépin Diatta doubled the home side’s lead from similarly close range.
Ajaccio, who were seeking to avoid a third straight league defeat, quickly pulled a goal back through Youcef Belaïli (11’), but then Ben Yedder appeared. He produced two excellent finishes seven minutes apart to make it 4-1 before the half-hour mark and then converted a penalty for his side’s fifth goal after just 35 minutes.
There was no way back for the Corsicans after that, but things would get worse for them in the second half. Breel Embolo came on for Monaco just after the hour mark and made it 6-1 just two minutes after his introduction as he diverted a Diatta shot into the net with his head. The Swiss forward then burst away to complete the rout late on.
The result ensures that Monaco sit in the European places at the season’s halfway stage and leaves Ajaccio in the relegation zone.
THE PLAYER: Wissam Ben Yedder
This was Ben Yedder’s second hat-trick of the season after he netted three times in Monaco’s 4-1 defeat of Nantes in October. He now has 16 goals in all competitions since the campaign began. Ben Yedder remains one of the French game’s most lethal marksmen despite being left out of the France squad for the World Cup.
THE STAT: 7
Monaco scored seven times in a Ligue 1 game for the first time since October 2016 and a 7-0 win against FC Metz. Ajaccio had only conceded seven in a top-flight game once before, in a 7-0 loss to Metz back in 1973.
Elsewhere, Clermont Foot 63 moved up to eighth place with a second win in five days as they beat bottom side Angers SCO 2-1 away at the Stade Raymond-Kopa. Elbasan Rashani gave Clermont the lead five minutes before half-time. Himad Abdelli then struck the bar for the hosts, before the visitors increased their lead two minutes into the second half through Neto Borges. Sofiane Boufal, one of the stars of the World Cup for Morocco, pulled a goal back late on for Angers but they could not find an equaliser and have now suffered 11 consecutive Ligue 1 defeats. They remain seven points from safety.
After losing 6-1 away at OGC Nice in midweek, it was another day to forget for Montpellier Hérault SC as they went down 3-0 at home to FC Nantes. Montpellier had Wahbi Khazri sent off late in the first half and Andrei Girotto’s long-range piledriver then put Les Canaris ahead at the Stade de la Mosson in stoppage time at the end of the half. The hosts were reduced to nine men midway through the second half when Elye Wahi received two yellow cards in quick succession, the first for simulation and the second for dissent. Nantes then scored twice more against the nine men, with Mostafa Mohamed running through to make it 2-0 after a mistake by Mamadou Sakho and Ludovic Blas wrapping up the victory.
Stade de Reims are unbeaten in 12 between league and cup after a 0-0 draw at home to Nice. Zakaria Aboukhlal earned Toulouse FC a 1-1 draw at home to Stade Brestois 29 after Steve Mounié had given the away side the lead at Le Stadium.
