Victorious over AJ Auxerre at the end of an intense match, AS Monaco secured their place in the Coupe de France round of 16 thanks to a brace from Mika Biereth.

Monaco kicked off their Coupe de France campaign with a well-deserved triumph in Burgundy. In the only all-Ligue 1 clash of the round of 32, Sébastien Pocognoli’s men were driven to success by Biereth’s double. Despite conceding a first-half penalty, the Monégasques maintained their dominance, created numerous chances and ultimately claimed a crucial 2–1 win.

© AS Monaco

Encouraging start to the match

Supported by 500 Monégasque supporters, the Red and Whites immediately took control of proceedings. In the first minute, Biereth, leading the line alongside Folarin Balogun, nearly opened the scoring with a lob that drifted just wide. Their superiority was quickly confirmed with clear attempts from Maghnes Akliouche (3’) and Balogun (5’).

In the eighth minute, ASM logically opened the scoring. Biereth guided a header over Théo De Percin after a pinpoint cross from Akliouche (0–1). A deserved goal for the classy and well-organised Monégasques, who continued to push to extend their advantage.

© AS Monaco

A penalty that revives Auxerre

Masters of the game during the first half hour, the Monégasques came close to doubling their lead when Balogun’s header grazed the crossbar (12’). But by not capitalising on their ascendancy, Monaco left themselves exposed. Following a defensive intervention by Aleksandr Golovin, the referee awarded a disputed penalty to the home team. With no VAR in operation in the early rounds of the Coupe de France, the decision stood. Auxerre captain Assane Dioussé made no mistake, firing straight down the middle to beat Lukáš Hrádecký and level the score (28’, 1–1).

It was a brutal setback for Monaco, who had generated several chances to restore their advantage, notably through Akliouche (26’), who failed to convert his one-on-one with De Percin. The end of the first period was further complicated by the stretchered exit of Takumi Minamino, who was forced off and replaced by Mamadou Coulibaly (32’).

At the other end of the pitch, Auxerre – already beaten by Monaco in the league earlier this term – were more enterprising but unable to find the breakthrough before half-time.

The Mamadou Coulibaly show

The second stanza began with a bang as a reinvigorated Auxerre took the initiative. Hrádecký pulled off a fine save to deny Fredrik Oppegård (48’) before Rudy Matondo saw his follow-up skim wide. For around 20 minutes, the Red and Whites struggled to get a foothold in the encounter. It was Balogun who finally sparked his side, unleashing a quality strike that drew a full-stretch stop from De Percin (67’, 1–1).

As is often the case at Monaco, the inspiration came from a player trained at the club. Introduced as a substitute, Coulibaly produced a superb slaloming run through the heart of the Auxerre defence before perfectly teeing up Biereth. The Danish international striker showed no hesitation, placing his shot across goal to complete a much-needed brace (74’, 1–2).

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A breathless end

Monaco could have put the game to bed, but Balogun missed a gilt-edged chance after a pass from Akliouche (79’), while Biereth was denied a hat-trick by a powerful effort saved by De Percin (82’). Moments later, Thilo Kehrer saw his header crash against the post (83’).

While AJA gave everything in the closing minutes, Hrádecký remained alert to the final Burgundian assaults (90’, 94’), sparing the Red and Whites the ordeal of a penalty shootout.

Mika Biereth: “It’s been a difficult season for me”

Fresh off bagging a brace, Biereth was honest about his team’s performance in the mixed zone, stating: “We could have done better in certain situations, the most important thing is to qualify for the next round.” Struggling since the start of the season, Biereth then spoke on his personal situation: “It’s been a difficult season for me so far. I hope that this match will serve as a turning point and that I can play like last season,” he reflected.

Pocognoli clearly displayed the club’s ambitions in this competition. “We have the ambition to go as far as possible. The Coupe de France can be an opportunity to go to Europe, it’s the shortest way to get there,” he said.

© AS Monaco

Focus on 2026

The victory allowed Monaco to close out 2025 on a positive note following their league defeat to Olympique de Marseille. The Coupe de France next round is scheduled to take place between January 9 and 11, 2026, away with US Orléans, who are currently third in the National 1 standings. Meanwhile, in Ligue 1, ASM will host Olympique Lyonnais on January 3, as they look to continue to climb up the table.