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Monaco
Champions League | Playoff Round
Aug 25, 2015 at 7.45pm UK
 
Valencia logo

2-1

Raggi (17'), Carrillo (75')
FT(HT: 1-1)
Negredo (4')

Live Commentary: Monaco 2-1 (3-4) Valencia - as it happened

Follow the Champions League clash between Monaco and Valencia with Sports Mole's live text commentary.
2

Valencia qualified for the Champions League group stage despite losing 2-1 to Monaco at the Stade Louis II on Tuesday night.

Leading 3-1 from the first leg, Valencia made the perfect start when Alvaro Negredo scored the opener with a superb chip in the fourth minute.

Monaco hit back with goals from Andrea Raggi and Elderson, but Valencia held off the hosts in the closing stages to clinch a 4-3 aggregate triumph.

Read below to find out how the drama unfolded.


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Good evening everyone! The second half of Monaco vs. Valencia takes part tonight following an exciting first leg at the Mestalla last week. Valencia take a 3-1 lead into tonight's game, but can they complete the job?

When the draw was made earlier this month, this tie certainly caught the eye. Last week was proof that these two sides are evenly matched, but Valencia were the more clinical. Monaco had long spells on top and probably did not deserve to lose 3-1, but they paid the price for some sloppy defending. Mario Pasalic's away goal has given them plenty of hope ahead of this game.

Both teams have been in domestic action since last week's first leg. Monaco may have been hoping for a confidence boost at the weekend, but they were forced to settle for a disappointing 1-1 draw against Toulouse. It's three matches in a row without a win for Leonardo Jardim's side.

It was a similar story for Valencia at the weekend as Nuno Espirito Santo watched his side begin their La Liga campaign with a fairly uneventful goalless draw against Rayo Vallecano. Changes were made to give key players extra rest, and the Valencia boss will be hopeful that decision is vindicated at the Stade Louis II.

MONACO: Subasic; Fabinho, Raggi, Carvalho, Kurzawa, Dirar, Bernardo Silva, Pasalic, Toulalan, Cavaleiro, Martial

VALENCIA: Ryan; Gaya, Ruben Vezo, Mustafi, Barragan; Rodrigo, Parejo, Fuego, Perez, Feghouli; Negredo


Layvin Kurzawa is back for Monaco tonight and his return should see Andrea Raggi shift back to his central defensive role after struggling at full-back last week. Nabil Dirar is also handed a start, while Anthony Martial leads the line again. Stephan El Shaarawy is named on the bench.

Valencia boss Nuno makes six changes to the side that started the draw with Rayo Vallecano as Jose Gaya, Antonio Barragan, Rodrigo, Dani Parejo, Enzo Perez and Sofiane Feghouli all return for the visitors. Alvaro Negredo is preferred to Paco Alcacer up front.

Jardim is fully aware of the size of the task ahead of Monaco. A 2-0 win would be enough for the home side.


Just how do Monaco go about overturning this deficit tonight? Well, it does not need to be all out attack from the first whistle. With an away goal in the locker, it will be about managing the game correctly. An early goal would pile the pressure on Valencia, who may favour a counter-attacking approach this evening. Monaco were superb for much of last week's first leg, but they need to defend much better to stand any chance.

"The best exercise you can do in a game like this is to think about being on the other side and what we would do if we were 3-1 against," Nuno told reporters earlier this week.

Valencia's new Portuguese coach Nuno Espirito Santo speaks during a press conference at the Ciudad Deportiva de Paterna training ground near Valencia on July 4, 2014© Getty Images

"From there you know what you have to do so it is important to think we can and should go out and win the game. They have to find a goal and are more desperate than us to do so but we have to be organised to do well in attack and recovering the ball."



KEY MAN: Later this evening, we could be looking back at Sofiane Feghouli's first-leg strike as the pivotal moment in this tie. It was a dagger to Monaco's hopes in the closing stages of a decent performance from the Ligue 1 side. Feghouli has the ability to stretch the game and punish Monaco on the break. He could be the most important man tonight, especially if he is given too much time on the ball in the final third.

Check out the two benches below.

MONACO: Nardi, Wallace, Elderson, Traoré, Lemar, Carrillo, El Shaarawy

VALENCIA: Yoel, Danilo, Orban, Mina, De Paul, Piatti, Alcacer



Monaco should be confident of pulling off another fine home result tonight. They have lost just one of their previous 11 European fixtures at the Stade Louis II, and that defeat came against Arsenal last season. They progressed to the quarter-finals on that night anyway. It has quickly turned into one of the toughest places to visit.

If you want to follow any of the other action from the League Cup or Champions League, click the link in the embedded tweet below. It is sure to be a dramatic night.


PREDICTION: This tie is far from over. Monaco should prove again why they are such a hard side to beat at the Stade Louis II, but I'm not convinced they will be able to keep out the Valencia attack. 1-1. Valencia to go through to the group stage.

Anthony Martial has a huge role to play this evening. He was certainly Monaco's best player in the first leg last week and he can drag defenders around with his clever movement off the ball. The hosts need him to fire, but they will have to get the ball to him in better positions than they did at the Mestalla. His pace and trickery will be key.

Here we go then. The handshakes and the anthem are out of the way. We're just a few moments away from kickoff.

KICKOFF: Valencia get the game underway and they are immediately on the front foot.

SAVE! Valencia win an early free kick on the left and the pressure stays on when it is flicked over the crossbar by Carvalho. The corner is defended terribly and Mustafi meets the ball at the back post, but his low volley is superbly stopped by Subasic. How important could that save be?

Monaco are really struggling in the early stages. Pasalic is the latest player to give away a free kick with a needless foul on Barragan. Fuego delivers the cross, but it is far too strong for his teammates in the box.

GOAL! MONACO 0-1 VALENCIA (NEGRED0)

Alvaro Negredo might be a powerhouse of a striker, but he has just shown a wonderful touch to score a vital away goal for Valencia. Monaco give the ball away in midfield and Negredo breaks free on the left. There does not appear to be much on, but he stuns the home fans with a superb chip over Subasic's head. It is a beauty of a goal. Valencia lead 4-1 on aggregate.

The early signs do not look good for Monaco. Not only are they another goal behind, but Valencia's front three of Feghouli, Negredo and Rodrigo are taking up some excellent positions. It could have easily been 2-0 already. Jardim will be very concerned.

Monaco are finding it impossible to get further up the pitch. Valencia are pressing well in midfield and the hosts have been sloppy in possession early on.

CHANCE! Valencia should be further ahead. Gaya does well to create space for himself on the left before pulling back a cross which Rodrigo leaves for Negredo, who fires a good opportunity over the crossbar.

I mentioned the need to get Martial involved as much as possible, but the 19-year-old already looks very frustrated in attack as he gives a free kick away with a push on Vezo. It could be a tough night for the forward.

Negredo looks to be in plenty of pain when he clashes with Kurzawa in the air and a closer look shows the striker has been cut just to the side of his eye. There did not appear to be any malice in the challenge. He should be fine to continue.

Monaco get forward for the first time in the game, but Valencia goalkeeper Matthew Ryan comes off his line to punch clear a corner. The hosts are starting to see more of the ball. However, you would expect Valencia to be pretty happy to play on the break from here.

GOAL! MONACO 1-1 VALENCIA

This tie is far from over. Valencia make a mess of clearing a dangerous cross after Fuego goes down complaining about a push from Silva. The loose ball falls to Raggi and the defender shows great composure to turn into space before beating Ryan with a fine low finish.

It's frantic stuff now. Valencia may be leading 4-2 on aggregate, but Monaco are quickly growing in confidence. There is still so much time, so Monaco do not need to be reckless. I would be stunned if this match finishes 1-1.

There is so much space in midfield now. Within a minute, three attacks break down and it looks like it could be a long, difficult evening for the two defences. Negredo is causing problems with his movement as he wins a corner for Valencia on the right.

CHANCE! Monaco are let off the hook once again. Fuego's corner is delivered into the perfect area and some awful marking allows Parejo to meet the ball with a free header, but he somehow manages to miss the target from around seven yards out.

A few fouls have affected the rhythm of the match, but both sides are still looking to attack as much as possible. Feghouli looks capable of creating something for Valencia every time he touches the ball on the right. Monaco are just starting to move the ball a bit better.

Nuno is unlikely to want his side to change their attack-first approach, but the game has slowed down in the last few minutes. Ryan does very well to claim a cross under pressure when Cavaleiro finds space on the left wing. Good goalkeeping.

Martial drops slightly deeper to get involved before taking on the Valencia defence. Monaco want a penalty when the forward hits a pass against Mustafi, but it did not appear to hit the defender's hand.

Monaco win a free kick in a good position and Fabinho delivers an excellent cross. Carvalho gets the header wrong by almost clearing the danger for Valencia, but an offside flag helps him avoid embarrassment.

Excellent play from Feghouli once again as he holds up the ball before turning into space to deliver a cross which Rodrigo sends wide of the post. It would have been an excellent finish from the penalty spot.

Fuego gifts another free kick to Monaco, but Silva's delivery is awful from a decent position. Monaco need their Portuguese attacking midfielder to more of an impact.

YELLOW CARD! Pasalic is the first player to pick up a booking when he pulls back Gaya on the left. He will miss the first group stage game if Monaco progress.

Better from Monaco and Silva as he moves the ball forward quickly to find Martial, who ignores the runners coming forward to fire a low effort straight at Ryan from the edge of the box.

Kurzawa is usually excellent over free kicks, but the full-back wastes a decent chance by curling over the crossbar from 25 yards as Valencia survive another spell on the back foot.

Valencia waste a decent chance when Parejo's free kick is cleared away by the first defender. Monaco should be taking confidence heading into the break. They are certainly dominating possession now, but the job is still a big one.

Monaco are finishing the first half strongly as Valencia clear a couple of corners, before Fabinho cuts in from the left to drill a low effort just past the post.

HALF TIME: MONACO 1-1 VALENCIA

Valencia made the perfect start with a brilliant goal from Negredo, before Raggi hit back to give Monaco hope of completing a comeback. It is the visitors who lead 4-2 on aggregate, which means the Ligue 1 side need two goals without reply to force extra time.

BENCH WATCH: Monaco will certainly be confident of creating enough chances to get back on level terms in the tie, but only if they stay solid at the back. Stephan El Shaarawy must surely be an option from the bench for the hosts. On his day, he can produce something special.

Nuno could be thinking about using the likes of Santi Mina and Rodrigo de Paul, whose composure on the ball may be important in the second half as Valencia look to kill off the Monaco challenge.



My predicition may have been 1-1, but I'm pretty sure we'll be treated to more goals in the second half. Monaco have to take more risks and the midfielders will be expected to get forward more often, which will leave space for the likes of Feghouli and Rodrigo to exploit. The next goal will be vital.

KICKOFF: Monaco get the game back underway at the Stade Louis II.

Dirar struggled to get involved in the first half and he makes a disappointing start to the second half by slicing a shot against a defender as Monaco put the pressure on Valencia.

For once, Feghouli is in a poor position as he fails to get back onside when collecting the ball on the right wing. Monaco are moving the ball well so far in the second half, but they are still missing that extra piece of quality in the final third.

The Monaco fans are not happy, but the referee is right as he shakes his head when Silva goes down under pressure from Perez, who did well to win the ball back in a congested box.

YELLOW CARD! Subasic does well to come off his line to collect a free kick. The Monaco goalkeeper is keen to get the counter-attack started, but Vezo steps in the way to block the kick. Easy decision for the referee.

SUB! Jardim makes his first change as Thomas Lemar comes off the bench to replace the ineffective Pasalic. That change should see Silva play more centrally.

Mustafi is furious when Cavaleiro throws himself to the ground as Ryan comes off his line to collect a cross. There was very little contact between forward and defender. No chance of a penalty.

YELLOW CARD! Poor from Monaco. The hosts do brilliantly to put the pressure on Negredo and win the ball back, but Kurzawa gives it away once again. Toulalan has no choice but to bring down Feghouli and he picks up a booking. Parejo then fires a powerful free kick straight at Subasic.

Excellent from Negredo as he releases Rodrigo with a defence-splitting pass on the half volley. A lack of support limits the options and a cross is easily picked up by Subasic.

SUB! Alcacer is off the bench to replace Negredo as Nuno looks to inject some more energy into the attack. The former Man City forward has done an excellent job for his side tonight.

SUB! Valencia are putting the pressure back on the home defence again now. Interesting move from Jardim as he changes his left-back by replacing Kurzawa with Elderson.

Martial is forced to go searching for the ball once again, and he does well to find space to play in Silva, who cuts inside before hitting a shot against Vezo in the box.

SUB! The changes keep on coming. Argentine forward Guido Carrillo replaces Cavaleiro for Monaco, before the visitors send on Piatti for Rodrigo.

Toulalan, who has already been booked, is a little bit lucky. The studs on one boot are showing when he challenges Barragan, but the referee is happy to just give the free kick when the midfielder avoids catching the Valencia full-back.

Valencia are starting to look comfortable. Monaco continued to see more of the ball, but they're making very little progress and the visitors have defended very well since the interval. Mustafi has been key, and he makes a fine block to keep out Martial's volley.

YELLOW CARD! Clever play from Perez as he retains possession in midfield before knocking the ball past Elderson to win a free kick with very few options available to him. Booking for the Monaco substitute.

YELLOW CARD! Silva has struggled to make the impact you would expect over two legs, but a clever piece of movement in midfield invites a foul from Perez, who accepts the yellow. Ryan collects the free kick at the second attempt after Mustafi miscues his headed clearance.

GOAL! MONACO 2-1 VALENCIA (ELDERSON)

We're in for a thrilling finish at the Stade Louis II. Lemar beats the wall with a clever low free kick that Ryan can only push back out into a congested six-yard box. Carrillo is involved, but Elderson appears to add the finishing touch while competing with Feghouli on the line. Monaco need another goal to force extra time.

SUB! Nuno responds to the goal by replacing Perez with Danilo, who will add some fresh legs in the centre of midfield. He'll be expected to protect the defence late on.

Valencia are dropping deeper and deeper as they look to protect their slender advantage. Ryan was perhaps to blame for Monaco's second, but he does well to collect a high cross at the back post.

Much better from Dirar, who has really struggled to get involved, as he delivers a superb cross to the front post. Vezo gets to the ball before Carrillo, but the Valencia defender is fortunate not to score an own goal.

SAVE! Ryan keeps the ball out, but I'm not sure if he knew much about it. Lemar unleashes a powerful strike from 25 yards which the Australian goalkeeper just gets enough on to prevent it from creeping past him.

Monaco are causing so many more problems with better crosses now as Carrillo flicks the ball just past the post after connecting with Dirar's inviting delivery.

Valencia probably should kill off the tie on the break, but Feghouli ignores Alcacer to his right and is eventually dispossessed by Lemar on the edge of the box.

The fourth official confirms there will be six minutes added. That is a blow to Valencia, who are clearly tiring late on. Can Monaco take advantage?

YELLOW CARD! Piatti is frustrated when he loses the ball high up the pitch and he picks up a booking for a late challenge on Fabinho.

Monaco are causing problems with a direct approach and Carrillo does well to wing another header. The loose ball drops to Dirar, who sends a speculative effort high and wide from 25 yards.

Valencia are struggling to relieve the pressure, but Monaco continue to make poor decisions in attack as they desperately search for one final opportunity.

FULL TIME: MONACO 2-1 VALENCIA - VALENCIA WIN 4-3 ON AGGREGATE

Monaco win on the night, but it isn't enough for Jardim and his players. Valencia return to the Champions League group stages thanks to a 4-3 aggregate triumph. Over 180 minutes it was the La Liga side who were more clinical and Monaco have paid the price for some poor defending.

That's all from our live coverage this evening. Keep an eye out for all of the reaction this evening and make sure you join us for the second half of the Champions League qualifying ties tomorrow night. Goodnight everyone.

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Valencia's forward Paco Alcacer celebrates his goal during the Spanish league football match Valencia CF vs Levante UD at the Mestalla stadium in Valencia on April 13, 2015
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