MONACO — In an exciting match on Friday, Maghnes Akliouche netted two impressive goals to help Monaco secure a 3-2 victory over Brest, narrowing the points gap with Paris Saint-Germain at the top of Ligue 1.
Brest, who are preparing to face Barcelona next week in the Champions League, once again delivered an inconsistent performance in the French league, failing to replicate their recent European form.
Currently sitting in 12th place in Ligue 1, Brest has struggled domestically, yet they have managed to achieve three wins in their last four matches during their inaugural Champions League campaign.
The match began briskly for Monaco, as Akliouche scored with a stunning volley just five minutes in. Aleksandr Golovin doubled the lead in the 24th minute, capitalizing on a misplaced pass outside the Brest penalty area. His low shot found the back of the net after making contact with the post, marking his first goal in nine league outings.
The second half opened with a goal from Abdallah Sima, the on-loan Brighton striker, who used his height to his advantage, soaring above the Monaco defense to head in a goal just four minutes after the restart, reducing the deficit to one.
However, Akliouche struck again in stoppage time, finishing a rapid counterattack to extend Monaco’s lead back to two goals. Though Ludovic Ajorque managed to score a second goal for Brest in the sixth minute of added time, Monaco held firm, preserving their lead despite the second half also being marked by a red card issued to Brest’s coach, Éric Roy.
With this win, Monaco now finds itself just three points behind league leaders Paris Saint-Germain, who were set to play Toulouse later that evening.