A hat trick for Balogun as the Elite Group beat Brighton! | OneFootball

Strengthened by the presence of four players from the first team, the Rouge et Blanc delivered a fine performance against Brighton in a friendly match, winning 3-2 thanks to a hat-trick from the American striker.

Less than a week after their victory in Ajaccio and qualification for the semifinals of the Espoirs Challenge, the young players of the Elite Group faced the Brighton U23s in a friendly match this Tuesday at the Performance Center. Quickly in front in the first half, the Monegasques then defended well to finally win 3-2 thanks to a hat-trick from Folarin Balogun. Recap. ✍️

Balogun shows the way…

For this match, four players from the professional team notably started, including George Ilenikhena, Mamadou Coulibaly, Edan Diop and Folarin Balogun, who returned to the pitch after almost four months being out through injury. From the start, the players of Djimi Traoré put in place an intense press to limit their opponents’ building play from the back.

Despite a choppy game and several fouls on both sides, AS Monaco managed to open the scoring at the end of the first quarter of an hour. After taking over a poor clearance from the Seagulls’ defense, our number 37 picked out the American striker who took advantage of a mix-up in the area to slip the ball into the back of the net (1-0, 20′).

Before scoring a hat-trick in 16 minutes flat!

Brighton’s players responded less than ten minutes later with a free kick from the right corner of the box, well headed home by Owusu (1-1, 30′). The Rouge et Blanc, however, didn’t let any doubts settle in and immediately regained the lead thanks to another goal from Balo’, this time with a header from a pass from Aurélien Platret (2-1, 33′).

The American striker even made it three minutes later with a fine left-footed shot, well delivered again by the right-back (3-1, 36′). It was a stunning return for him, having scored a hat-trick in 16 minutes flat for his big return to competition!

A controlled second half

After the break, several substitutions were made on both sides, and both teams struggled to get the ball flowing. Substitutes Lucas Michal, a goalscorer with the France U-20s, and Soufian Awragh attempted to break through the Brighton defense on the right but were unable to find a way through (69′, 71′).

It was ultimately the Seagulls who managed to reduce the deficit against the run of play. Following a combination between Mackley and Outen, Abdoulaye Sow deflected the ball into his own net and beat Yann Lienard (3-2, 80′). It was without consequence, however, as the Elite Group then showed their seriousness to preserve the win.

A fourth straight victory in the bag

They thus secured their fourth consecutive victory after those against Bordeaux, Brentford, and Ajaccio, demonstrating their growing strength. This friendly victory should now serve as a model for their next match against AJ Auxerre at the Stade de l’Abbé Deschamps, on Monday, March 31st at 2:30 p.m., in the fifth match of the Espoirs Challenge season. Well done to our youngsters! 👊

🗓️ Match details:

Tuesday, March 25 – Performance Center, La Turbie

Halftime: 3-1

Goals: Balogun (20′, 33′, 36′) for AS Monaco; Owusu (30′) and Sow (80′, OG) for Brighton

Bookings: Owusu (32′), Mills (55′) for Brighton

AS Monaco: Lienard © – Platret, Sow, Couto, Eser – Diop (Awragh, 62′), Dembaga (Touré, 45′), Coulibaly (Benama, 62′) – Ilenikhena (Bakali, 62′), Etondé (Bouabré, 45′), Balogun (Michal, 45′)

Substitutes: Zadi, Touré, Bouabré, Benama, Awragh, Bakali

Manager: Djimi Traoré