Monaco found a flash of brilliance before the interval against Toulouse on Saturday, with Matthis Abline turning a tight Ligue 1 contest into a two-goal advantage through a spectacular improvised finish.
The former Nantes forward struck in the 38th minute of the sixth-round meeting at the Stade Louis-II. After Monaco recovered possession around the centre circle, Sofiane Diop played the ball into Abline’s path through the middle.
With his back to goal, Abline lifted the ball, took two touches in the air to turn towards the Toulouse penalty area and then drove a right-footed volley across goal from the edge of the box. Guillaume Restes, fresh from a successful first appearance for France earlier in the week, was left rooted to the spot.
Diop sets Monaco on their way
Diop had already made a decisive contribution at the other end. In the 29th minute, he met Aleksandr Golovin’s delivery with a close-range header after the Russian midfielder had been released beyond the Toulouse defensive line.
That goal gave Monaco the lead, while Abline’s strike ensured the home side went into half-time 2-0 ahead.
Unbeaten start continues
Monaco began the weekend at the top of Ligue 1 after five matches and were well placed to extend their near-perfect opening to the campaign.
The Principality club had also won both legs of their Conference League qualifying tie against Gornik. They had entered the Toulouse match unbeaten in seven games in all competitions, with only a disputed draw in Alsace preventing a flawless start to the season.
