AS Monaco start with victory in Bruges
After more than three months without playing, AS Monaco finally resumed competition, this Friday, July 17, against Cercle Bruges. And in its first friendly match of the preseason, the Principality club won 2-0 at Stade Stade Jan-Breydel, in a match played behind closed doors. The outcome was quickly decided, as Wissam Ben Yedder (4 ‘) then Aleksandr Golovin (7’) impressed at the start of the first half. Robert Moreno then made many changes, especially at half time, to feature as many players as possible.
The match sheet :
First half = Lecomte – Aguilar, Marcelin, Badiashile, Ballo-Touré – Zagré, Aholou (Millot, 24′), Tchouameni, Golovin – Ben Yedder, Pellegri (Keita Baldé, 24′)
Second half = Mitryushkin (Majecki) – Biancone, Maripan, Panzo (Matsima, 75′), Jorge – Musaba, Millot (Matazo), Fofana, Foster – Geubbels, Keita Baldé (Golovin 75′)
— AS Monaco 🇲🇨 (@AS_Monaco) July 17, 2020
The reaction of coach Robert Moreno :
How did you experience this return to play after this long period of stoppage?
For this return to the pitch, the first impressions were very good, we had a lot of desire to return to the pitch after more than four months without playing. This moment has finally arrived, it was certainly only a friendly match, but this is a good thing.
What do you take away from this match?
I remember that we were finally able to return to playing the game, to experience certain sensations, smell the grass, things that come from the atmosphere specific to matches. I’m glad I was able to give my players time to play, to watch them enjoy having fun on the pitch. We are all happy to simply practice our passion.
What lessons do you draw from this victory for this first match of the season?
It was our first match of the preseason, after just two weeks of training and, most importantly, four months off. Therefore, we know what this means and we cannot draw many conclusions. We have tried to give everyone time to play, with a focus on avoiding possible injuries. This is why we preferred to bring off Pietro Pellegri who felt a small twinge, but there is nothing serious so this is the main thing.
What is the program for the future?
Tomorrow we will resume our program of training and continue our preparatory work. We are going to plan on looking at the next match with the aim of continuing to give players playing time and allow them to find their feet as they go.
❗ To watch the first friendly preseason match join us on our Facebook page. And if you want to relive the live text commentary, head to the AS Monaco App.
