Nice (AFP)

Monaco easily qualified for the round of 16 of the Coupe de France by winning the Côte d'Azur derby in Nice (2-0) on Monday evening at the close of the round of 16 of the competition.

Already winners of the two matches in Ligue 1 against their neighbors (2-1 in the first leg and in the return), the Monegasques have therefore won a third time this season.

And this time around, there was almost no match as the difference between the two teams was too great.

Monaco, which receives Lille on Sunday in a match at the top of the elite in Ligue 1, is therefore back on track after its defeat in Strasbourg (1-0) last week.

Le Gym, which remained on two league victories, will, for its part, play an essential match in the race to maintain in Lorient.

It took Monaco half an hour to impose its law in the Côte d'Azur derby.

And the qualification of the men of Niko Kovac, who played three consecutive finals of the German Cup with Frankfurt then Bayern Munich, suffered no dispute.

- Dolberg on the pole -

Even with six changes from Strasbourg (1-0), Monaco quickly showed automation.

After a cushioned chest-cross strike from Stevan Jovetic, stopped by Walter Bnitez (11th), then a big breakthrough from Youssouf Fofana, punctuated by a strike from Fodé Ballo-Touré, again deflected by Benitez (13th), Monaco took the fronts.

Before going out, hit in the back (37th), Aurélien Tchouameni brought his power.

He then shifted Cesc Fabregas who served perfectly behind Kevin Volland.

The German was quick to score his 14th goal in France and give his people a logical advantage (1-0, 29th).

Without Youcef Atal, affected with the adductors the day before and whose absence is added to the already long list of injured Nice people (Boudaoui, Dante, Lopes and Reine-Adelaide), the Aiglons took half time to enter the match .

Twice, Adrian Ursea's men could have equalized.

But neither Alexis Claude-Marice, following a good overflow from Hassane Kamara (55th), nor Kasper Dolberg, whose pivot strike hit the opposing left post (62nd), failed to frame.

Monaco therefore managed.

Until the end of the match or following a counter from Stevan Jovetic, Ruben Aguilar recovered, hit and scored from afar to ensure a logical qualification in the round of 16 (2-0, 87th).

© 2021 AFP