"VAN" (Sports Desk - 22.01.2025) :: Aston Villa battled hard but narrowly lost out to AS Monaco at Stade Louis II in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night.
The decisive moment arrived eight minutes into the match when Wilfried Singo headed home from close-range.
Goalkeeper Radoslaw Majecki proved to be the visitors’ nemesis time and again as they sought a leveller, denying Leon Bailey and Lucas Digne before a stunning stop thwarted Ollie Watkins.
A second defeat of the league phase in the club's penultimate fixture leaves Villa on 13 points heading into a matchday eight meeting with Celtic at Villa Park next Wednesday.
Villa started the night in fifth position in the league phase table, while Monaco sat three points adrift in 16th after three wins, a draw and two defeats from their opening six games in the competition.
Manager Unai Emery handed Emi Buendía a first Champions League start, while Digne and Bailey also returned to the starting XI, and the Argentine was clearly keen to impress, getting on the ball and looking to make his side tick early on.
Bailey sent a header into the arms of Majecki in the opening stages, but it was the hosts who hit the front after eight minutes.
Thilo Kehrer powered a header goalwards from a corner and despite Emi Martínez making a fine reaction save, the ball popped up for Singo to nod into the net.
Monaco, who are fourth in Ligue 1, were forcing Villa into mistakes and they carved out another chance when Maghnes Akliouche’s first-time drive from the edge of the box saw Martínez flying across goal to tip it wide.
The visitors, who were looking menacing when they ventured forward, called Majecki into a smart stop via Digne’s curling free-kick as they looked to hit back.
A one-handed reflex stop was required from the Monaco ‘keeper minutes later when he got a glove up to block Bailey’s drive after the Jamaican had been slipped in by Buendía.
Majecki saved the best of his first-half saves for stoppage time, diverting Watkins’ low shot narrowly wide with a stunning fingertip stop.
Monaco swept up the other end and the last kick of an eventful opening 45 minutes fell to Akliouche, who blazed over when well placed eight yards out.
A sharp one-two between Watkins and Buendía at the start of the second half released the former and he advanced towards the box before working the ball across the pitch to Morgan Rogers, who took a touch before bending a drive inches wide of the far post.
Jhon Durán was summoned from the bench after 56 minutes, replacing Bailey and signalling a slight change in shape as he headed up front to join Watkins.
Despite the new attacking weapon in Villa’s arsenal, the away side’s next chance fell to the right boot of Cash.
Rogers slipped a cute ball through to the full-back, but he dragged his effort across goal and wide from a tight angle.
While Monaco were content to sit back and soak up pressure, it required a terrific block from Tyrone Mings to deny Aleksandr Golovin in a dangerous moment after the substitute had been sent through by Breel Embolo’s floated pass.
The Russian attacker sent another striker crashing into the side-netting shortly before five minutes of stoppage time were added on.
Durán sent an acrobatic effort over the crossbar, but the visitors couldn't find a way through as they fell to defeat.
CR - CHAMPIONS LEAGUE
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