French top flight: Monaco stuns Lyon and plunges them into crisis

Monaco keeps rolling and lands a heavy blow

The Monaco run rolls on. Beating Lyon 2-1, the Principality’s side notched a sixth straight win in the French top flight.

A crucial three points in the push for the top three — Monaco are now just one point behind Lyon. On the flip side, Lyon are sliding into a worrying slump, with eight matches without a win in all competitions.

Lyon on top before the break

From the off it looked like Lyon might bounce back.

With key players returning, Lyon showed a sharper side in the first half. The strike pairing troubled Monaco’s defence, and Pavel Sulc drilled a powerful shot under the bar to open the scoring (42′).

Soon after, Corentin Tolisso smashed the post, making it feel like Lyon could have doubled their lead before the break.

At that stage, Fonseca’s men looked to have things under control.

Akliouche flips it — Monaco turns the game

But after the interval the whole match flipped.

Bolder, better organised, Monaco slowly took charge. And it was Maghnes Akliouche who changed everything.

The France international first equalised with a superb individual effort (62′), then won a penalty a few minutes later.

Folarin Balogun stepped up and slotted the spot-kick with ice in his veins (71′), putting Monaco ahead.

In minutes, Lyon had completely lost the plot.

Controversial refereeing and a chaotic finish

The second Monaco goal sparked a major row.

Lyon players furiously protested an unwhistled foul in the build-up, arguing referee François Letexier should have gone to VAR.

Tensions boiled over late on with the sending off of Nicolas Tagliafico (88′), leaving Lyon down to ten.

Despite a final push in stoppage time, Lyon failed to find an equaliser.

Lyon’s slump deepens

The numbers make grim reading for Lyon:

• 8 matches without a win

• 7 red cards this season

• A total loss of momentum

Discipline has gone out the window — Tagliafico’s sending off is the bluntest example and it’s costing them dearly.

Monaco back in the hunt for a top-three spot

By contrast, Monaco are buzzing with confidence.

With this winning run, the Principality’s players:

• are back in the race for the top three

• show impressive mental steel

• are peaking at exactly the right moment

Conclusion

This showdown between Lyon and Monaco laid bare two opposite trends.

On one side, Monaco on the rise.
On the other, Lyon in full-blown crisis, dragged down by mistakes and frayed nerves.

The run-in is going to be tense… and it’s Lyon who look the most exposed.

Find the rest of the sports headlines on Mathodds!