Monaco run riot and smash seven goals against lowly Ajaccio in Ligue 1
Monaco couldn’t have wished for a better start as they needed just two minutes to break the deadlock, with France international Axel Disasi finding the back of the net following a rebound.
They doubled their lead inside the opening five minutes later when Krepin Diatta was at the end of a brilliant collective play to score following a delightful assist from Vanderson.
Conceding two early goals was a big blow but Ajaccio found a way to pull one back when Youcef Belaili netted for the visitors in the 11th minute, although that didn’t stop Monaco from dominating the contest.
Les Monegasques grabbed a third goal through Ben Yedder, as the France international found himself in a one-on-one situation and coolly slotted the ball past the goalkeeper.
The former Sevilla marksman doubled his tally shortly after with another strike, this time after an assist from Aleksandr Golovin to put Monaco up 4-1 before the 30th-minute mark.
Ben Yedder completed his hat-trick with a penalty, meaning he needed just 14 minutes to score thrice, and a highly eventful first half ended with Monaco 5-1 up, and with Philippe Clement’s men perhaps delivering the finest attacking performance of the entire 2022/23 Ligue 1 campaign thus far.
Ajaccio made two changes at halftime looking to spark things up, but they were unable to create anything even remotely dangerous against the stout defensive pairing of Disasi and Guillermo Maripan.
Instead, Monaco added one more strike through Breel Embolo, who needed just two minutes off the bench to find the back of the net and give this match a tennis-like result.
Despite the fact that the visitors never gave up, the possibility of a comeback was never realistic and Monaco cruised their way to victory while displaying an attacking, attractive brand of football. Embolo capitalised on a defensive mistake late on and added a seventh goal.
The win extended Monaco’s undefeated streak in Ligue 1 play to four (W3, D1), and pushed the home side up to fourth place in the standings, as they remain very much alive in the race for a UEFA Champions League berth for next season.
As for Ajaccio, they remain in the relegation places, and have now lost three league games in a row.
Flashscore Man of the Match: Wissam Ben Yedder (AS Monaco)