|
A controversial late penalty allowed Monaco to go fourth in Ligue 1 as they beat Toulouse 1-0 at the Stade Louis II.
Monaco boss Francesco Guidolin brought Patrice Evra and Gaël Givet back into the side after they were rested for Thursday's UEFA Cup game against CSKA Sofia, but it was fit-again striker Ernesto Chevanton who made the first impression with a superbly curled free-kick that Christophe Revault turned out for a corner at full-stretch.
Those two then combined for another free-kick after eight minutes, with the Uruguayan striker's effort this time bouncing menacingly in front of Revault before he caught it at the second attempt. Having been out of action for a number of weeks, Chevanton was clearly hungry to make up for lost time, and his side quickly established their superiority against a Toulouse outfit operating a five-man midfield.
There was a little too much imprecision to their efforts up front, though, and Evra was particularly guilty when he missed the target after being set up by an Emmanuel Adebayor back-heel. Meanwhile, Daniel Moreira was isolated as Les Violets' sole striker, but they at last obliged Monaco goalkeeper Guillaume Warmuz to enter the game when Pantxi Siriex tried his luck with a tame effort at the end of the first half.
Whatever Erik Mombaerts told his troops during the break worked wonders, however, as Toulouse came out looking like a completely different team. It was they who dictated the play now while the hosts faded from view. Chances remained rare on the other hand, with Moreira's shot into the side netting the best they had to show, but a point seemed theirs for the taking until controversy struck in the 83rd minute.
There seemed to be nothing sinister as Adebayor and Dominique Arribagé challenged for a ball in the area, yet to everyone's surprise referee Patrick Lhermite whistled for a foul that is sure to be talked about for days to come. The visitors' complaints fell on deaf ears and substitute Olivier Kapo converted with ease to preserve Monaco's 100% home record since Guidolin took over.
|
