Outgoing Ligue 1 Conforama champions Monaco were held 0-0 at home by Amiens and could be out of the top three come the end of Week 35.
AS Monaco 0-0 Amiens SC
THE MATCH
After being thrashed by Paris Saint-Germain and Guingamp, Monaco really needed the maximum haul here, particularly given the form of Olympique Lyonnais and Olympique de Marseille, their rivals for a top-three finish. OL had taken second from Monaco earlier on Saturday and on Sunday OM have the chance to move ahead of the principality club.
Monaco only managed one shot on target and could have lost it in the second half (65') but for the fit-again Danijel Subasic pushing a Gaël Kakuta effort onto the post. Both sides finished the match with ten men as Prince Gouano, the visiting captain, and home substitute Adama Diakhaby were sent off (90+1') following an altercation.
Radamel Falcao was back from the muscular alert sustained in the warm-up at Guingamp and the Colombian skipper had one effort off target in a drab opening period (42'). Gabriel Boschilia was the player to chance his arm the most for the hosts (25', 34' and 39') without success.
Rony Lopes' run of scoring in eight consecutive games had come to an end at Guingamp and the Portuguese failed to trouble Régis Gurtner (62'). Three minutes later Kakuta' right-footed volley from 20 metres demanded the best of Subasic. In the 87th minute Monaco at last managed something on target, an Almamy Touré header cleared off the line by Thomas Monconduit.
THE PLAYER: Gaël Kakuta
On loan from Hebei China Fortune, the gifted attacking midfielder was so close to securing Amiens their fourth win in five Ligue 1 Conforama matches. Kakuta has scored six times this season, a PB for a league campaign in his peripatetic career.
THE STAT: 54
This was the first time Monaco had failed to score at home in 54 Ligue 1 Conforama matches since falling 3-0 to PSG on August 30 2015.
