Monaco (AFP)

Monaco, which logically bowed against Lens (0-2), late Saturday afternoon at the Stade Louis-II, during the third day of L1, accumulated a third consecutive defeat in any competition, and the state of emergency is now in force.

A single point taken in three games, a qualification for the Champions League subject to a feat and a victory by two goals (or one goal and a penalty shootout) in Kharkiv in Ukraine on Wednesday , against Shakhtar Donetsk: Monaco is doing badly on an accounting level as well as in terms of its objectives at the start of the season.

But worse than the numbers, Monaco is doing badly in the game. Its level of play is far too insufficient to hope for better now.

Certainly, Niko Kovac's men, whose initial eleven was made up of seven fresh players compared to those who started last Tuesday against Donetsk (0-1), pushed hard at the end of the match.

But Lens held on.

Without struggling too much.

-Despite Gelson Martins-

And this, despite the entries of Gelson Martins, only player at the level, Kevin Volland, Myron Boadu and Cesc Fabregas.

Despite also having played for more than 25 minutes in numerical superiority, between the exclusion of Lensois Cheick Doucouré (61st) and that of Monegasque Aleksandr Golovin (86th).

In front of Thierry Henry, former Monegasque star 1998 world champion, but also ephemeral coach between October 13, 2018 and January 24, 2019, who made his debut as a consultant for Amazon, new holder of TV rights to the L1, Monaco has therefore fallen from high.

Lens, for its part, has a third unbeaten L1 game.

His first victory of the season allows him to accumulate five points but also and above all to keep the momentum of last season.

In front of 350 noisy and festive Lensois supporters, Franck Haise's men immediately played eye to eye with their opponents.

In a well-run 3-5-2, they spent a first period without being rushed too much.

They even pushed hard and multiplied the corners around the 20th minute.

Just before Florian Sotoca had even countered Alexander Nübel, on the relaunch again rough.

Ignatius Ganago, who resumed, did not take advantage and did not frame his attempt (18th).

-Defensive errors-

The end of the first period, on the other hand, was more to the advantage of the Monegasques.

She saw their first strike of the game on target.

But Jean-Louis Leca was easy on the attempt of Jean Lucas (38th).

But Niko Kovac's players have played too little as a team to offer better.

This game continued to unravel after the break.

Until then satisfactory on the defensive level, the Serbian international Strahinja Pavlovic, already holder in Lorient, was surprised by Ganago, who subsequently beat a Nübel uninspired with a strong strike (0- 1, 52nd).

Lensois supporters after the victory of their team, August 21, 2021 in Monaco Valery HACHE AFP

Once again, Monaco got caught on their opponent's first shot on target.

Obviously, the club of the Rock then attacked more.

Without much success.

Before and after the entries of the "finishers", as Kovac calls them.

Before and after playing 11 against 10. Only once, Leca had to relax on the good shot from afar from Caio Henrique (74th).

Worse, the latter got a hole at the end of the match and Simon Banza even doubled the stake in stoppage time (0-2, 90th + 3) against a formation of Monaco in the urgency of positive results now.

© 2021 AFP