AS Monaco are held by Nottingham despite a clear dominance | OneFootball

Even though they had the best chances of the match, even hitting the woodwork twice, the Rouge et Blanc conceded a respectable draw against a well-positioned Reds (0-0).

A good match to close their time in England. Facing Nottingham Forest, who finished seventh in the Premier League last season, this Saturday for their third preseason match, the AS Monaco players drew 0-0 with the English team. The draw was secured in the presence of President Dmitry Rybolovlev, who came to support the Rouge et Blanc at the SMH Group Stadium in Chesterfield. ✍️

A debut for Pape Cabral

To begin this confrontation against the “Tricky Trees”, Adi Hütter opted for a 4-2-3-1 system, with Singo and Dier centrally and Akliouche-Golovin-Bouabré in midfield. Also noteworthy was a first professional start for the midfielder trained at the Academy, Pape Cabral, winner of the Coupe Gambardella in 2023. There was no hesitationn at kick-off despite the deluge, with a first header from Jota Silva from a corner pushed away by Philipp Köhn (3′).

Matz Sels denies our Monégasques

This was just before Caio Henrique saw his shot hit Matz Sels’ bar (3). The Rouge et Blanc attacked hard and Saïmon Bouabré made his mark twice. First on a cutback from Jordan Teze, then on a corner kick, from which the Belgian goalkeeper had to produce a magnificent save (8′). But in the end it was the new pro’ Pape Cabral who came closest to opening the scoring on his debut, with a shot deflected by Sangaré from 16 meters (11).

Clear but unrewarded domination

The pace slowed slightly, and it wasn’t until the half-hour mark that Golo had a chance (27′). Both teams defended well, and halftime came after a final header from Breel Embolo was saved by the former Strasbourg player (44′). The second half began with 21 new players, and with a chance to come on for Paris Brunner, who was denied in a one-on-one (49′).

Camara thrills with a free kick

The young German then provided the pass for a header from Mika Biereth – who has just signed a new contract extension until 2030 – which was caught by Miguel (53′). Nottingham Forest’s second goalkeeper then distinguished himself by deflecting Lamine Camara’s fine direct free-kick (63′), and anticipating a deep run from the Dane (65′)! Nuno Espírito Santo’s men then tried to regain the upper hand, but Taylor’s volley went well wide (74′).

The camp ends with a good match

Half an hour later, the pace slowed again when Kassoum Ouattara hit the post with a chipped ball after a nice one-two with Lucas Michal (79′). AS Monaco then regained control of the match and Krépin Diatta attempted a volley from a corner (80′). But the Reds held firm, and it was on a final attempt from Brunner that the final whistle was blown by Michael Oliver (0-0).

The training camp in England thus ended with this draw at the SMH Group Stadium, despite Monaco’s strong dominance. The team’s fourth pre-season match will take place next Saturday against Arminia Bielefeld (15:00).

🗓️ Match details:

Saturday, July 19 2025 (16:00) – SMH Group Stadium 🇬🇧

Preseason friendly : Nottingham Forest 0-0 AS Monaco

Halftime: 0-0

AS Monaco – First half: Köhn – Teze, Singo, Dier, C.Henrique – Zakaria ©️, Cabral – Akliouche, Golovin, Bouabré – Embolo

AS Monaco – Second half: Köhn – Diatta, Kehrer ©️, Salisu, Ouattara – Minamino, Camara, Bamba, Michal – Biereth, Brunner

Substitutes: Majecki, Lienard, Stawiecki, Diatta, Kehrer, Kiwa, Ouattara, Salisu, Vanderson, Bamba, Ben Seghir, Camara, Coulibaly, Michal, Minamino, Biereth, Brunner

Manager: Adi Hütter