Monaco 1 : 1 Lille OSC - Monaco held at home

Posted Sunday, August 31, 2014 by PA

Monaco's stuttering start to the Ligue 1 season continued as they were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Lille.

With Radamel Falcao omitted from the squad ahead of a possible move away from the Stade Louis II, his fellow striker Dimitar Berbatov's second-half equaliser earned Leonardo Jardim's side a point.

The Bulgarian cancelled out Nolan Roux's opener - much to the annoyance of visiting coach Rene Girard, whose protestations got him sent from the dugout - to prevent Monaco slipping to a third league defeat of the season.

The home side started brightly and Yannick Ferreira Carrasco's run helped set up Valere Germain in the area, but his shot found the side-netting.

Instead the visitors went in front after 17 minutes as Ryan Mendes raced in from the right before laying the ball off for Roux to slam home a fierce shot which caught goalkeeper Danijel Subasic by surprise.

At the other end Joao Moutinho's cross-shot dropped just over the bar, while Ferreira Carrasco contrived to miss the target from six yards following a long ball from Layvin Kurzawa.

Monaco kept the pressure on at the start of the second half and only a stunning reflex save from Vincent Enyeama kept out Anthony Martial's curler.

The leveller arrived after an hour as Ferreira Carasco helped atone for his earlier miss by feeding Berbatov to convert from close range.

It was too much for Girard, whose furious claims that the goal should have been disallowed for offside got him dismissed from the touchline.

His side almost responded in the best fashion, though, with Marcos Lopes seeing his low shot from 20 yards well saved by Subasic.

But Lille had defender Simon Kjaer to thank minutes later as he got back to deflect a Kurzawa away with his body, both sides having to settle for a point.