An intense but goalless encounter at the Stade Auguste-Delaune saw Monaco held down by a resolute Reims outfit who are now winless in their last five Ligue 1 matches.
On the back of a poor run of form in October, drawing once and losing three times, Reims looked eager to overturn their recent fortunes from the very first minute, as Dutchman Azor Matusiwa threatened Monaco with a fantastic effort that was brilliantly saved by goalkeeper Alexander Nübel. Unfettered by the home side’s early chance, ‘Les Monégasques’ regained their shape and took the game to Reims, with successive chances falling to Ismail Jakobs and Aleksandr Golovin, but they failed to open the scoring. Looking to inflict further damage on Reims’ hapless Ligue 1 record of just two wins from their last 20 matches, the visitors upped their ante in the final-third as HT neared, only to find themselves facing a relentless ‘Rouges et Blancs’ outfit keen to avoid a fifth consecutive match without a win.
Having just gone without scoring within the first 40 minutes for the first time in four matches, Reims started strong as Anastasios Donis’ long-range shot went painfully wide of the left post, before Mathieu Cafaro headed the ball just off the right post from a well-delivered cross. Aurélien Tchouaméni seemed to pull off a couple of impressive skills, including a commendable jumping volley that flew over the crossbar, but nevertheless failed to unlock a relentless Reims defence. Kevin Volland perhaps had the chance of the match with an unmarked header in stoppage time, which he amazingly headed wide from six yards, as neither side could find a winner.
A draw means none of the two teams progressed from where they stood in the league standings, but it is Reims who will be more affected due to it being their fifth successive winless encounter. The ‘Red and Whites’ stay put in 16th place and continue their poor form of just one victory from their last 19 league games against Monaco.
