AS Monaco and Zenit St Petersburg battled it out for a place in the knockout stages of the Champions League in their final Group C match, with the hosts needing just a draw to reach the next round.
After a rather drab opening half, Monaco took their chances through defenders Aymen Abdennour and Fabinho in the second period to confirm a 2-0 win and seal top spot in the group.
Here, Sports Mole looks over the 90 minutes of action at the Stade Louis II.
Match statistics
AS MONACO
Shots: 10
On target: 3
Possession: 44%
Corners: 4
Fouls: 9
Zenit St Petersburg
Shots: 6
On target: 3
Possession: 56%
Corners: 3
Fouls: 18
Was the result fair?
In the end Monaco were the deserved winners in this contest, but they played rather terrible football for around 60 minutes of the game. Zenit controlled much of the ball in the first half and early stages of the second period, but they failed to do much with it. The hosts produced some real class when required to put in the free kick that resulted in the goal, with defender Abdennour showing great anticipation to gamble and nod home. The goal had a profound impact on the swing of the fixture, and Monaco played with confidence after the opener. Still, if Zenit had been a little more proactive while on top, they may well have won this.
AS Monaco's performance
They'll want to forget the first half of the game. They played what appeared to be a tactic based on soaking up pressure and breaking on the counter, which seemed rather risky given that they required at least a draw. However, it finally paid dividends when they grabbed the opening goal, which allowed them to play out the remaining 20 minutes with an air of quality that was missing in the opening 45 minutes.
Zenit St Petersburg's performance
The away side dominated for lengthy periods and had they been a little more expansive when in control they could have reached the knockout stages. For the first 45 minutes they pressed with great intensity and moved the ball well across the middle of the park. It seemed to break down when going forward, though, with neither Hulk nor Salomon Rondon quite knowing what to do when in possession. They missed a trick this evening, this was there for the taking at certain points at the Stade Louis II.
Sports Mole's man of the match
Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco: The 21-year-old attacker grew into the fixture and was a joy to behold in the second half. He tormented down the left flank and produced a stunning delivery to pick out Abdennour for the opener. His attacking intent also had an impact on the Zenit full-backs, who were wary of his presence and held back when their team was on the front foot. Ferreira-Carrasco showed maturity beyond his years in the final 15 minutes too as he looked to break away and take time out of the game by winning some smart free kicks.
Biggest gaffe
Rondon didn't have his best game in a Zenit shirt and his ineffectualness was arguably his manager's fault for leaving him on the pitch for so long. As mentioned, Zenit had the ball for large periods and needed some more creativity on the pitch. It wouldn't have done Andre Villas-Boas any harm to try out Andrey Arshavin.
Referee performance
Damir Skomina ran a tight ship in the South of France and allowed the game to flow without too much interruption. He handed out cards when necessary and made good calls to book each of the four players tagged in the game. However, it's a bit of a mystery how he didn't award a penalty for Monaco following Javi Garcia's tackle on Ferreira-Carrasco in the second half.
What next?
AS Monaco: The French side march into the next round as winners of Group C, with Bayer Leverkusen unable to beat Benfica in their final game. Jardim's men will be ecstatic having qualified, although there's lots of work still to be done - especially in midfield - if they want to stand any chance of going beyond the last 16.
Zenit St Petersburg: Villas-Boas and his men will have to settle for third place in the group and will turn their sights on the Europa League. They'll have the winter break to pick over their mistakes and misfortunes.
Christopher Dodd
