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Monaco off to a flying start
Niko Kovac's men came to impose their seductive game which propelled them to the Ligue 1 podium last season.
This was confirmed from the outset with several opportunities including one materialized by Gelson Martins (7th) for the opener a few moments after the incredible failure of Boadu, the flagship rookie of the Monegasque summer.
The ball then circled around the Nantes area without much danger for Alban Lafont who was not much worried on Friday evening.
Nantes' all-purpose defense
It is clearly the Nantes defenders who have been the most visible for this resumption of the championship, which suggests that the men of Kombouaré have still not resolved their problem of efficiency in front despite the return of the Olympian Randal. Kolo Muani.
Nicolas Pallois and Jean-Charles Castelletto have reigned over their half of the field.
Whether in the air on the good kicks of Jean Lucas (87th, 88th), against the speed of Martins (68th) or the technique of Golovin (85th), the Nantes defenders have shown that they would still be a lot requested this season and have responded.
And when they do not defend, they even allow themselves to score as on the equalizer of Casteletto at the end of the first period (44th).
Martins already in good shape
This Friday August 6 marked the first day of the 2021 vintage French championship, and luckily for the show Gelson Martins was there.
The Portuguese winger beyond his goal did not stop dynamiting his right side while making Fabio dizzy, who would surely have hoped for a somewhat quieter recovery.
As soon as he left (68th), the intensity fell even further while his replacement Sidibé tried some interesting discounts which did not find a taker.
The Flops
Monaco too wait-and-see
The contrast in pace between the first and second half was startling.
Perhaps scalded by the Nantes equalizer just before half-time or simply the lead in the return match against Prague next Tuesday, the Monegasques had a lot of the ball without really knowing what to do with it.
If they monopolized the ball (75%), the Monegasques showed a shouting lack of realism as on this incredible failure of the rookie Boadu (6th) or this incredible mess at the end of the match (88th) where the Monegasques saw three attempts almost at close range repulsed by the Nantes defense.
An offensive sterility that contrasts with the realism of Nantes who scored on their only shot on target.
Boadu, first complicated
While the other recruit Jean Lucas was rather distinguished by his set pieces and his vista in the midfield, the flagship recruit of the Monegasque summer (17 M euros) had a complicated first in the jersey Red and white. While his trainer Nico Kovac was delighted with his arrival and his atypical profile which differs from the somewhat elusive numbers 9 that are Ben Yedder and Volland, the young striker (20 years) from Alkmaar has always seemed out of time or has missed controls or easy gestures in key areas of the pitch. Admittedly, this is only a first meeting in a new championship, but the finisher qualities of a Wissam Ben Yedder would have done the most good for this Monegasque attack which only scored 3 times in the match.