Monaco (AFP)

Thanks to a goal from Denis Bouanga, Saint-Etienne knocked out Monaco (1-0) Tuesday in the knockout stages of the Coupe de France, reaching the quarters at the expense of the team of Robert Moreno, who gradually sank again in the crisis .

This is the kind of result that can do good for ASSE and a lot of harm for ASM: the Greens, in great difficulty a few weeks ago, seem to raise their heads and thus chain their third consecutive success ( two in the Coupe de France and one in L1).

If this qualification seems to put Claude Puel's team back on track, it condemns Monaco, of an abysmal weakness, to an inevitably delicate end of the season.

Of course, it is still too early to know whether the Robert Moreno transplant has been rejected. But since the arrival of the short-lived coach of La Roja, one month now, Monaco has lost three times out of six and conceded 13 goals. And, except at the Parc des Princes against PSG, the ASM did not show anything in the game.

Again on Tuesday, Monaco won only one battle in the first period, the one that is useless if it does not result in a scoring opportunity: possession of the ball. For 40 minutes, not a shot on target for the Principality team! Not even a clear opportunity!

It took a free kick from Adrien Silva, captain for one evening, for Stéphane Ruffier to recall the fond memories of supporters of Stade Louis-II (39th).

On this corner, in rapid offensive transition, after the ball was badly cleared by the Stéphane defense, Wissam Ben Yedder also came up against Ruffier.

- Delicate end of season to come -

Simple straw fire! This Monaco doesn't scare anyone, it's a certainty. Stuck in a 4-1-4-1 with Silva on the launch pad, the Moreno team never managed to find a mismatch.

And as against Strasbourg three days earlier, Moreno's men found themselves led at the break, against a team that defended and countered.

This time, Monaco was led before half an hour. On the second incursion of the Greens into the opposing camp - after that of Romain Hamouma who centered for Loïs Diony, too short (7th) -, Denis Bouanga did not miss the target.

Served by Franck Honorat who left all the Monegasque defense in place, the ex-Nîmes perfectly took a swing to score (0-1, 24th).

After the break, Monaco continued their sterile possession game. Only Stevan Jovetic, who entered late, worried Ruffier (86th).

Before him, it was the Stéphanois who had been the most dangerous. But neither Hamouma with a pivot volley (66th), nor Cabaye with a long shot (79th), nor Bouanga, alone in front of Lecomte (83rd), were not realistic.

Never mind: Saint-Etienne will play in the quarter-finals of the Coupe de France. While Monaco, in view of the weakness of the proposed game, is preparing to experience a very delicate end of the season.

© 2020 AFP