An uninspiring Monaco side were held to a disappointing goalless draw at home to strugglers Lorient, extending their troubles at home to just one win from five matches against ‘Les Merlus’.
In a less than entertaining first 45 minutes, the relegation-threatened visitors were comfortable allowing Monaco the time and space to operate, without allowing any openings to goal. On the rare occasion the hosts saw a sight of goal, a dragged left-footed finish from Wissam Ben Yedder failed to trouble Matthieu Dreyer in the Lorient goal.
Having made the whopping 2,600km round-trip to the South of France, it was in fact the visiting supporters making all the noise throughout the first half. A boisterous pocket of Lorient fanatics continued to urge their side on, as ‘Les Merlus’ resisted the patient Monaco attacks. A comfortable Dreyer save from a tame Axel Disasi header brought the first half to a close, with Christophe Pélissier no doubt the happier of the two managers.
Below par throughout the first half, Monaco were in desperate need of a spark after the break, but a stubborn Lorient maintained their rigid defensive shape. Reduced to very few chances in the early stages of the second half, Jean Lucas was able to force an elasticated save out of goalkeeper Dreyer, who sprung well down to his left-hand side to deny the Monaco midfielder.
With Lorient restricting the home side to next to no chances from open play, it had looked as if Monaco’s best opportunity would come from a set piece, when Ben Yedder’s flicked header had appeared to be goalbound. However, much like he had been for the most part of the contest, Dreyer was equal to the effort, denying the striker was a smart stop. The result ends Monaco’s three-match winning streak, whilst also offering a valuable point to Lorient’s relegation woes.