Ligue 1: Monaco Move into Second Place with Comeback Victory Over Nice

Monaco staged a remarkable comeback to defeat Nice 2-1, delaying PSG's Ligue 1 title celebrations. Get the latest updates on Ligue 1 and Monaco.

AS Monaco staged a remarkable comeback to defeat OGC Nice 2-1 at Stade Louis II in the Derby de la Côte d’Azur, leapfrogging their opponents into second place in Ligue 1. This victory also prevented Nice from achieving their first league double in this fixture since the 2004/05 season.

The match got off to a thrilling start, with Monaco being awarded a penalty inside five minutes. The opportunity arose when Nice midfielder Benjamin Santamaria's ill-advised pass put his goalkeeper Marcin Bułka under pressure, forcing him into a hasty clearance. As a result, Monaco regained possession, and Santamaria was compelled to commit a foul on Breel Embolo from behind, conceding the penalty in the process.

Mika Biereth, who has been in impressive form since joining from Sturm Graz in January, had the opportunity to score from the penalty spot. However, his low shot to the left was saved by goalkeeper Mateusz Bułka, who made a crucial intervention by sticking out his right boot to clear the rebound as Biereth attempted to capitalize.

The match continued to ebb and flow, with Takumi Minamino coming close to putting Monaco ahead. The Japanese player curled a shot against the crossbar, narrowly missing the target. At the other end, Caio Henrique made a timely intervention to prevent Nice's Evann Guessand from scoring, just before the half-hour mark.

Maghnes Akliouche then had a chance to give Monaco the lead, but his first-time shot was directed straight at Bułka. Nice capitalized on Monaco's wastefulness, taking the lead through a well-crafted goal. Jonathan Clauss delivered a pinpoint cross, which was headed in superbly by Jeremie Boga, giving Nice a deserved advantage.

Monaco head coach Adi Hütter was pleased with his team's first-half performance, opting not to make any changes at the break. His patience was rewarded in the 55th minute when Lamine Camara's incisive pass found Maghnes Akliouche, who cleverly flicked the ball into the path of Mika Biereth. Biereth made amends for his earlier penalty miss by scoring his 12th Ligue 1 goal in just his 10th appearance, powering the ball home to level the score.

Akliouche soon had another opportunity to turn the game in Monaco's favor, but his strike was again too close to goalkeeper Mateusz Bulka, who made the save. The match was then marred by a VAR controversy, as referee Jerome Brisard chose to uphold his decision not to award a penalty for Dante's challenge on Breel Embolo. However, Embolo shrugged off this disappointment to score what proved to be the winner in the 73rd minute.

Monaco win the Côte d’Azur Derby! ✅🔴⚪️ pic.twitter.com/rMzBSI2Gqj

— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) March 29, 2025

Embolo's goal was the result of a well-crafted move, as Akliouche capitalized on a slip by Dante to find the Switzerland international. Embolo skillfully maneuvered his body to keep the ball before firing home with aplomb. After this goal, Monaco faced little resistance from Nice, and the match was effectively sealed when Dante was given a straight red card in stoppage time for clipping Akliouche as the last man.

The win marked Monaco's 10th point from their last four games, and they will look to continue this momentum when they travel to Brest next Saturday. Meanwhile, Nice will aim to end their three-match winless run when they host Nantes a day earlier.