Radamel Falcao scored twice as Monaco thrashed Tottenham Hotspur 5-2 in a pre-season friendly this afternoon.
The hosts opened the scoring in a rare first-half highlight when Andrea Raggi's volley from a tight angle beat Hugo Lloris at his near post.
Lucas Ocampos doubled this lead just two minutes after coming on as a sub at half-time before setting up Falcao for his first a couple of minutes later.
Harry Kane pulled a goal back for Spurs when he slotted a loose ball past Danijel Subasic, but Falcao made it 4-1 less than 10 minutes later with another first-time finish.
Monaco got their fifth with 20 minutes left when Mounir Obbadi finished off a fluid counter attack, while Andros Townsend scored a fine solo consolation goal late on to make it 5-2.
You can read how an entertaining match unfolded with Sports Mole's live text updates below.
Good afternoon! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole as Monaco take on Tottenham Hotspur in a pre-season friendly. Let's get straight down to business!
We'll start by looking at the oil-drenched Monaco side, who have re-established themselves as one of the biggest sides in France during the summer. Their transfers have been the subject of many headlines, the most notable of all being Falcao, who joined in a big-money move from Atletico Madrid.
The Colombian striker was a sensation in Spain last season, firing Atletico to a very respectable third-placed finish. For a while it even looked as if they could pip city rivals Real Madrid to second plays, but they were unable to keep up their fine early-season form. Falcao was a huge reason behind such an impressive season, and his £53m move is a big coup for Monaco.
They haven't just stopped at Falcao, however. Monaco have also brought in the likes of James Rodriguez, Joao Moutinho, Jeremy Toulalan and Eric Abidal from Porto, Malaga and Barcelona respectively.
Overall, the French side have brought in a massive 15 players, spending an even bigger £130m. Anything less than the Ligue 1 title, you would feel, would be a disappointment for the Monaco owners after such an extravagant summer of spending.
Yet Monaco can't be considered immediate favourites for the title. They will have Paris Saint-Germain - who are also lucky enough to have cash to burn - and potentially one or two other clubs to contend with.
Having only been promoted from Ligue 2 last season, it will be interesting to see how the club adapts to being in the top flight of French football once again. They start the season with a two-point deduction, which already puts them at a disadvantage, but they will still be confident of mounting a serious title challenge.
Monaco were, of course, giants of the French game not too long ago. They experienced great success in the middle of last decade, even reaching the Champions League final in 2004 only to be beaten by Jose Mourinho's Porto side. The new owners have brought with them optimism that they can once again scale such heights, but it certainly won't be easy.
As for their pre-season form, it has been a mixed bag. They began with a thumping 11-0 win over GSA Gascia of Italy before back-to-back defeats against Fortuna Dusseldorf (3-2) and Augsburg (1-0) respectively. They got back to winning ways with a comfortable 3-0 win over Leicester before a 2-1 win over Pescara in their last outing.
Tottenham's pre-season campaign has also been one of contrasting fortunes, although on the whole they would have to say that it has been disappointing. They began with a 1-1 draw with Swindon before another draw, this time 0-0, against Colchester.
Following this they jetted off to Hong Kong for the Asia Trophy, where they would meet Sunderland in the semi-finals. They went down 3-1 to Paolo di Canio's side on a terrible pitch, but redeemed some pride in the third-place playoff as they thrashed South China 6-0 to record their first pre-season win.
Not really an ideal preparation to what is a huge season for Spurs, then. Andre Villas-Boas came so close to guiding his side into the Champions League last season but, for the second year in a row, they were pipped to the post by Arsenal. A top four spot looked all-but guaranteed for Spurs when they beat their North London rivals to open up a substantial gap, but a fine end to the season from Arsenal, couple with a few slip-ups along the way from Tottenham, ensured that they were consigned to Europa League football again.
Spurs haven't exactly been quiet in the transfer window themselves. They have splashed the cash on Paulinho and Soldado, as well as bringing in the likes of Chadli. The latter is expected to play some part today, but neither Paulinho or Soldado will.
However, even Tottenham's record signing has been overshadowed by the ongoing questions over Gareth Bale's future at the club. Some of the numbers being thrown about are ludicrous, with Real Madrid reportedly willing to pay £105m for the Welsh winger. Spurs have remained strong so far, resisting the temptation to cash in, but that is a huge amount of money that could do wonders elsewhere in their squad.
Bale is, of course, a massive talent. He was voted PFA Young Player of the Year, PFA Players' Player of the Year and FWA Footballer of the Year last season after scoring 26 goals in 44 games, including a number of stunning strikes. Is he worth £105m though? Not in my book, I don't think anyone is worth that much and, if Ronaldo moved for £80m, then Bale shouldn't be worth any more than that. My advice to Spurs would be to cash in as that is an offer that is too good to turn down.
In some ways, it is a win-win situation for Spurs. Either they get a mind-boggling amount of money or they get to keep a player who has the potential to become one of the best in the world. I must say, I don't see him quite reaching the standards of Ronaldo and Messi, but he is still young and, scarily, is yet to enter his prime. Spurs will want it sorted out one way or the other quickly, though, so that they have time to spend the money should they decide to sell.
Bale's future has also seemed to overshadow another departure from White Hart Lane, and it is quite a surprising one. In the last hour it has been confirmed that Clint Dempsey has left the club to join Seattle Sounders for a fee believed to be around £6m.
TEAM NEWS: Time for some team news, and the headline unsurprisingly surrounds Gareth Bale, who has not travelled with Spurs to the game. He is not named in the starting XI nor on the bench, which will surely only fuel speculation surrounding his future. There is also a start for new signing Chadli, although Paulinho and Soldado don't feature, as expected. Full team news coming up.
MONACO STARTING XI: Subasic; Kurzawa, Carvalho, Abidal, Raggi; Moutinho, Ferreira, Obbadi, Toulalan; Falcao, Rodriguez
MONACO SUBS: Tavares, Ocampos, Isimat-Mirin, Ndinga, Tisserand
TOTTENHAM STARTING XI: Lloris; Walker, Fryers, Livermore, Rose; Dembele, Parker; Lennon, Chadli, Sigurdsson; Defoe
TOTTENHAM SUBS: Friedel, Naughton, Stewart, Bentaleb, Carroll, Huddlestone, Townsend, Kane
So, a very strong lineup named by Monaco, who include the likes of Falcao, Moutinho and Rodriguez in their starting XI. It is pretty much a full strength side that they have fielded ahead of their season opener next week.
I have already mentioned Falcao in some detail, but he will be Monaco's dangerman this afternoon. He is up against an inexperienced defence and will fancy his chances of grabbing a goal or two this afternoon. Rodriguez is more than capable of helping out on that front as well, while in Toulalan and Moutinho they have a midfield who can create plenty of chances for them.
While Tottenham's defence is inexperienced today, the likes of Abidal and Carvalho gives Monaco plenty of experience at the back. Kurzawa is the odd one out back there, aged just 21, but he will have several old heads around him to help him out if needs be.
Spurs haven't exactly taken Monaco's approach in naming a strong side, although I suspect that Villas-Boas didn't have much choice. The main absence is, of course, Bale, but also missing are the likes of Adebayor, Holtby, Assou-Ekotto and Sandro, all of whom will have a substantial part to play in the upcoming season.
We may not be able to draw too many conclusions from how Spurs perform in this match as the team that lines up in their season opener against Crystal Palace in a fortnight's time is likely to be quite different.
Still, a defeat - especially a big defeat - won't do Tottenham's confidence any good, and they will need a big performance from an inexperienced defence to stop a potent Monaco side from scoring a few goals. Livermore is not a natural defender, while Fryers hasn't played too many games at this level. They have three 23-year-olds in defence today and one 20-year-old.
PREDICTION: We're five minutes from kickoff here, which means that it is time for my match prediction! I think these two sides would be very evenly-matched if both had full-strength teams out, with Spurs perhaps edging it. However, with the likes of Bale and Vertonghen missing for Spurs I think they will struggle to cope with Monaco, and I reckon the Ligue 1 side will emerge victorious. I'll go for 2-1 to Monaco.
Tottenham will be looking to use the electric pace throughout their side this afternoon. Monaco have named a relatively old team for this match, and the likes of Walker, Lennon and Defoe could take full advantage of that with their speed. I think that may by Spurs' best chance of winning this one today.
The players come out on to the field in glorious sunshine, but there aren't many people there to cheer them on. Monaco averaged an attendance of just over 5000 last season, a figure I'm sure they will be looking to improve upon with the addition of some of football's biggest names.
KICKOFF: Here we go! A little later than scheduled, Spurs get us underway in this friendly. It promises to be an entertaining one!
Monaco should be the sharper of the two sides today. Their league season kicks off against Bordeaux in a week, while Spurs have 15 days until their curtain raiser.
Falcao chases a ball down and looks like he may get on the end of it until Lloris comes out to head the ball clear. He is one of the finest exponents of the 'sweeper keeper' in world football at the moment, helped largely by his great pace.
Falcao is looking sharp already. Carrasco picks up the ball in midfield and the Colombian is immediately on his bike looking for the through ball. Carrasco does play it to Falcao, but the pass should have been more central and Walker is able to get there first.
It has been a pedestrian start to this match as both sides look to ease themselves into it. It is a very hot day and you feel that both teams are looking to reserve a little energy in these early stages.
TOTTENHAM SUB: Very early sub for Tottenham as Jermain Defoe comes off. He is walking off fairly freely but with a precautionary hand on his hamstring. Harry Kane comes on for the striker.
The last thing Spurs need is another injury. They already have a mini-crisis growing that department, particularly in defence. Dawson, Vertonghen and Kaboul are all currently injured which, following the sale of Caulker to Cardiff, leaves Spurs without a recognised senior defender.
Subasic makes a meal of a cross into the box, trying to gather it with one hand by only succeeding in dropping the ball at the feet of Chadli. The new Tottenham man should probably shoot first time, but he dawdles on the ball and the defence get back to clear.
Subasic makes another error straight away, refusing to hoof the ball long when under pressure. His attempt pass to his full-back is poor and goes out for a throw in a good attacking position for Spurs.
GOAL! Monaco 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur (Andrea Raggi)
That is not Hugo Lloris's finest hour by any means. A diagonal ball finds Raggi over to the right side of the box. The full-back shows brilliant technique to volley it goalwards, and he gets a good connection but it still shouldn't be beating Lloris at his near post. The ball bounced just before the keeper, which will have made it more difficult, but he will be disappointed with that one. Fine strike by Raggi, though.
DISALLOWED GOAL! Monaco almost have a second! Falcao races beyond the defence and tries to take it around Lloris, who makes a good initial save to deny the Colombian. The ball is stroked in on the rebound, but the flag had gone up for offside against Falcao. That was a very, very close one.
Subasic does seem to take a long time on the ball, and Spurs have recognised this. Every time the keeper receives the ball a couple of Tottenham players are quick to close him down, and that could cause Monaco a few problems.
Chadli comes in late on Rodriguez and gets a ticking off from the referee. That may well have been a yellow card in a competitive match.
I've mentioned that Tottenham's defence is very inexperienced, but one thing that they do have in abundance is pace. We know how fast Walker and Rose are, but Fryers also looks to be a bit of a flyer as well.
Subasic is almost caught in possession yet again as he is chased down by a blue shirt. He is able to get the ball away to Abidal, but then the left-back is under pressure. It is good work from Tottenham, but the Monaco keeper is doing his defence no favours. Abidal manages to hack it clear on this occasion, but Subasic needs to get rid of it quicker.
Nothing really seems to be working for Tottenham at the moment. They haven't created a good chance yet, with their most promising opening coming when Chadli collected the ball following Subasic's mistake.
Lloris is so fast off his line. He has displayed it on a number of occasions already today, and does so again there. Moutinho spins away and immediately looks to release Falcao, but the Colombian simply can't beat the keeper to the ball. Even if he had, this fast Tottenham defence looked to have got back just in time.
Kane sends the ball to Chadli, who is closely marked by two defenders. Lennon takes over and skips past two men on the way into the box, but his final product is lacking as his cross is cleared. Better from Spurs, though.
Walker flies into a heavy challenge and is promptly told off by the ref. That would have certainly been a yellow card at least - quite possibly a red - in a normal game.
CHANCE! Some nice build up play releases Raggi down the right, but his initial cross is poor and easily cut out. The ball falls back to the full-back who gives it to Rodriguez. The Colombian moves it on once more to Kurzawa who is steaming into the box, but his shot is sliced wildly wide.
SHOT! Lovely touch from Kane as he brings a high ball into his path with some instant control. He immediately looks to shoot from 25 yards out, but his low effort is dragged a few yards wide.
I must say I'm surprised at the lack of crosses into the box from Monaco so far. The only ones that have come in have been along the floor despite Falcao being lethal with his head. The Spurs defence is not the tallest, and their pace is making any through balls on the floor hard to execute, so high crosses seem the obvious option to me.
Raggi is penalised for a foul on Sigurdsson, and the full-back is not happy about that award whatsoever. It is very central, but at least 35 yards out. It may be just on the very edge of shooting range.
Walker does indeed go for goal but it takes a huge deflection, which takes the pace off the ball. Subosic still has to deal with it, however, and ends up conceding a corner.
Raggi may have to watch those marauding runs down the right flank now as a number of pigeons have gathered right by the corner flag! Just as I say that they are disturbed by a Monaco attack and go skittering off in different directions.
As you may be able to tell from that small piece of ornithology, this isn't the most enthralling of matches so far. It started at a slow pace and has carried on that way throughout.
HALF TIME: Monaco 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur
The referee brings an end to a pedestrian first half. It is Monaco who go into the break with the lead thanks to Andrea Raggi's volley. It was a very good strike from the full-back but Spurs keeper Hugo Lloris will not be happy with letting it sneak in at his near post.
The hosts have looked the brighter out of the two teams, but that isn't saying much to be honest. We haven't had a really good chance yet - even the goal came from what was, at best, a half chance. The best opening for Monaco came for young full-back Kurzawa, but his shot was never troubling Lloris.
Monaco are in control of the match despite not creating any chances. It has been a tough match to shine in, but Moutinho has shown glimpses of his talent and is probably Monaco's stand out player so far.
The same can't really be said for Monaco keeper Danijel Subasic. He flapped at a high cross early on and has almost been caught in possession on three separate occasions. Perhaps he knows what he is doing better than I do, but Spurs will take heart from the keeper looking less than comfortable on occasions.
As far Spurs, they haven't created anything either. The closest they have come to scoring came when Harry Kane flashed a 25-yard effort a few yards wide having brought the ball down very well. Subasic hasn't been tested as a shot-stopper, and it must be said that Tottenham simply haven't looked like scoring.
As I said before the match, we won't be able to draw too many conclusions from Tottenham's performance tonight due to the number of first-team players that are missing. However, I have still been disappointed with the lack of impact from the likes of Lennon, Sigurdsson and Dembele. They could all start in Tottenham's opening game of the season yet have not shown any creativity so far today.
Spurs may have a wider problem to address in defence. They are noticeably short of senior centre-backs having sold Caulker to Cardiff. With everyone fit they only have three, but all three - Dawson, Vertonghen and Kaboul - are currently injured. If Villas-Boas doesn't bring another defender in before the end of the transfer window then I can see Fryers making quite a few appearances in the upcoming season.
MONACO SUBS: Goalscorer Raggi is one of those to make way at the break as Monaco make a double change. He is replaced by Fabinho, while Lucas Ocampos and Nicolas Isimat-Mirin replace Carvalho and Rodriguez.
KICKOFF: Monaco get us back underway in this second half. Hopefully it will be more of a spectacle than the first half.
GOAL! Monaco 2-0 Tottenham Hotspur (Lucas Ocampos)
What a start to the half by Monaco! Lucas Ocampos doubles his side's lead just two minutes after coming on as a sub. Moutinho's whipped a free kick towards the front post and Ocampos has made a clever run across Harry Kane before glancing his header past Lloris.
GOAL! Monaco 3-0 Tottenham Hotspur (Radamel Falcao)
Wow! A two-minute salvo at the start of this second half sees Monaco move 3-0 up with less than five minutes played of it. Ocampos has been an inspired sub as he turns provider, feeding a low ball in to Falcao, who has got the wrong side of his man and makes no mistake with his finish.
CLOSE! Monaco are really turning the screw now, they sense goals. This time it is Carrasco who comes forward with the ball only to flash his shot just past the post. He didn't catch hold of that one properly.
We saw more action in the opening four minutes of the second half as we did in the whole of the first half, and Monaco are still playing with a sense of urgency that was completely lacking in the first 45 minutes. There is no need for urgency, of course, but Claudio Ranieri seems to have told his side to go out and show what they can do.
CLOSE! Danny Rose shows good anticipation to step in and win the ball in midfield. He immediately drives at the heart of the Monaco defence and it opens up for the full-back to have a shot from the edge of the box. It is certainly not lacking power, but he just can't keep it down as it goes flying narrowly over the bar.
GOAL! Monaco 3-1 Tottenham Hotspur (Harry Kane)
This is more like it! Goals galore at the moment as Spurs pull one back. It is a very messy goal, but Kane won't mind as he gets his name on the scoresheet. Dembele tries to power through three tackles and is being pulled in different directions by each defender. Eventually he turns to the ref to ask for a foul, but he lets play go on and Isimat-Mirin falls on top of the ball before gifting it to Kane right in front of goal. The young striker takes a touch before sliding it under the keeper from close range.
SAVE! Cerrasco is playing a bigger role in this second half, and he looks impressive. He turns Walker inside out to create space to shoot, but his effort from a tight angle is saved beaten away by Lloris.
Monaco have gone about dampening any hopes Tottenham may have had of a comeback since that goal. They are back in control of the ball and you feel that Spurs will need another lucky break if they are to get another goal.
Cerrasco clips a rare high cross towards Falcao in the box. It is a clever ball, matched by a clever run, but Lloris shows some commanding goalkeeping to collect.
TOTTENHAM SUB: Spurs make their first change of the day as Andros Townsend comes on for Chadli.
GOAL! Monaco 4-1 Tottenham Hotspur (Radamel Falcao)
Falcao's movement has bamboozled this Tottenham defence at times today. He fakes a run towards the six yard box before hanging back around the penalty spot to convert an Ocampos cross. Lloris got a hand to it and it wasn't the most clinical of finishes from Falcao, but they all count! As for Ocampos, that is a goal and two assists in the 20 minutes that he has been on the pitch.
YELLOW CARD! Yellow cards are few and far between in friendlies, but the referee obviously thinks that this one was too cheeky to avoid it. Carrasco clearly pulls Lennon back when the winger was threatening to launch a counter attack, and his cynical foul earns him a lonely place in the referee's book.
GOAL! Monaco 5-1 Tottenham Hotspur (Mounir Obbadi)
This could get embarrassing for Tottenham. Monaco break with a three-on-one situation and take full advantage. Cerrasco carries the ball a fair distance before playing it to Obbadi who has made up a lot of ground on his right. The Moroccan takes a touch before drilling a shot past Lloris who, again, got a touch to it.
I said before the match that, although Spurs won't look too far into a defeat today, a heavy loss could do their confidence serious damage. This scoreline certainly comes under the description of a heavy loss, so it will be interesting to see how Spurs bounce back. Lloris, as well, will be unhappy at conceding five even in a friendly.
CHANCE! Monaco could well have had a sixth there. Fabinho clips a ball in to the middle and Falcao is in two minds whether to go for goal himself and look for his hat-trick or to tee up Moutinho, who was in a better position. In the end, he does neither and simply gets in Moutinho's way, allowing the ball to run into the arms of Lloris.
TOTTENHAM SUB: Tom Huddlestone has come on for Moussa Dembele, while Kyle Naughton has also replaced Danny Rose.
Ocampos advances in to the Tottenham box and looks to find Falcao in the box, but Naughton makes an important block before following it up with a good, strong sliding tackle.
CLOSE! Huddlestone decides to have a crack and goal from range, and why not? Spurs have nothing more to lose now so he might as well. He can't quite steer it on target, though, flashing his low shot just past the post.
TOTTENHAM SUB: Tom Carroll comes on for the final eight minutes, replacing the disappointing Aaron Lennon.
CHANCE! More good movement from Falcao sees him get a chance to complete his hat-trick, but he is denied by Lloris. A Fabinho cross found the Colombian who had peeled off his man, but his diving header was more or less straight at the Tottenham keeper.
GOAL! Monaco 5-2 Tottenham Hotspur (Andros Townsend)
Townsend saves probably the game's best moment for the closing stages. He skips past two or three challenges in midfield before drilling a low shot past Subasic from 25 yards out. Fine solo effort from Townsend, who will be delighted with that having spent last season on loan at QPR. He may play a substantial part in Tottenham's upcoming season.
TOTTENHAM SUBS: Spurs use the final two subs on their bench in the last couple of minutes as Kevin Stewart and Nabil Bentaleb make their first team debuts for Spurs.
We're entering the closing stages now and it has been an afternoon to forget for Spurs. They won't take too much from the defeat, but conceding five goals will still irk Villas-Boas and it highlights the problems Spurs may have in defence.
CHANCE! Brilliant turn from Falcao as he sells two Spurs defenders with a fake shot, but his real shot is well blocked by Huddlestone to deny the Colombian his hat-trick.
FULL TIME: Monaco 5-2 Tottenham Hotspur
The referee brings an end to proceedings as Monaco record a comfortable and comprehensive 5-2 victory over Tottenham, who were missing a number of first team players - most notably Gareth Bale. The second half was a dramatic improvement on the first, treating us to six goals and plenty more chances.
Right, that's it from me this evening! Thank you very much for joining Sports Mole for today's match as Monaco hit Spurs for five. I will leave you with Pascal Lemesre's match report. Goodbye!
Written by
Barney Corkhill
Barney Corkhill
