Youngsters continue UEFA Youth League momentum with victory at Monaco

Our Academy made it three wins out of three in the UEFA Youth League after an all-action 4-2 win at 10-man Monaco on Wednesday afternoon.

We dominated the first half-an-hour at the Ligue 1 side’s impressive training facility in La Turbie and took the lead through Oli Irow’s angled finish. At that stage, we looked good value to win but we seemed to lose our momentum in the run-up to half-time and conceded to Joan Tincres either side of the break as we allowed Monaco – coached by ex-Liverpool defender Djimi Traore – to take the upper hand.

You sensed the game was in the balance by that point, both sides having squandered chances with Monaco goalkeeper Jules Stawiecki in particular making a series of superb saves, but when Elijah Upson scored an excellent header from a corner to level things up just before the hour mark, we established control once more and got ourselves back in front when Luca Williams-Barnett set up Tynan Thompson to lash home for 3-2.

Monaco substitute Kenan Moulangou was dismissed for a second bookable offence just afterwards, with Leo Black’s subsequent thunderous strike from distance setting the seal on another impressive overall display in the south of France.

Played out to a picturesque backdrop among the cliffs and with the sun shining, the match represented our first UEFA Youth League meeting with Monaco since February, 2018, although we did meet them at Under-21 level last December, going down 4-0 at home in the Premier League Cup. Both sides had one player apiece who started that game in their line-up here and both found the net – Irow for us and Tincres for the hosts.

We dominated the early going with Thompson, Williams-Barnett and James Rowswell all forcing saves from Stawiecki, although Tincres did manage a couple of near-misses for Monaco as well. Miracle Adewole’s cross saw Irow open the scoring with a neat angled finish at the back post on 14 minutes with Callum Olusesi and Rowswell going close soon afterwards as we stayed on the front foot.

The hosts got back on level terms after 27 minutes as Sirak Bein found Nahel Haddani with a long ball out from the back and he duly fed Tincres, who beat the advancing Sam Archer. Monaco kept probing as the first half came to a close before snatching the lead less than two minutes after half-time. A cross from the right appeared at first to have gone too deep, but Nick Mokabakila salvaged it at the back post, knocking the ball across goal for Tincres to convert from close range.

Both goalkeepers subsequently came to the fore with big saves, Archer denying Haddani before Irow’s fierce shot following a quickly-taken free-kick tested Stawiecki, who subsequently pushed the same player’s opportunistic effort onto the post, with the ball rolling agonisingly across the goalmouth before being cleared to safety.

We struck back on 58 minutes as Upson rose highest in the box to head Harry Byrne’s corner into the top corner and after Stawiecki again thwarted Irow, this time on the counter-attack, we hit the front once more with 17 minutes remaining as Williams-Barnett stayed alert after his initial attempt at a delivery was blocked back to him, driving the ball low across the box from the right for Thompson to thump home through a congested area.

Monaco’s task became tougher within two minutes as Moulangou, who had replaced the injured Yasir Mouh mid-way through the first period, was shown a second yellow card and consequent red for his late challenge on Olusesi. Stawiecki kept his team in the game with an impressive double save to deny substitute Reiss Elliott-Parris and Black but, from Thompson’s resulting corner, the ball was cleared as far as Black outside the box and he needed no second invitation to arrow a fine strike into the top corner with 82 minutes gone. We saw out the rest of the game comfortably, the result leaving us top of the 36-team table after three games.

Match data

Goals: AS Monaco – Tincres 27, 47; Spurs – O Irow 14, Upson 58, T Thompson 73, Black 82.

Yellow cards: AS Monaco – Moulangou 33, 75, Tincres 45+1, Drame 70; Spurs – Olusesi 60, Williams-Barnett 88.

Red card: AS Monaco – Moulangou 75.

Referee: Szabolcs Kovacs (ROU).

Venue: AS Monaco Performance Centre, La Turbie.

Weather: Sunny, gentle breeze, 21 degrees.