Benjamin Moukandjo strike gives Lorient victory at Monaco

Updated: May 17, 2023, 06:12 am
Benjamin Moukandjo celebrates after scoring in Lorient's 3-2 win versus Monaco.
Valery Hache/Getty Images

Monaco's shaky start to the Ligue 1 season continued as Benjamin Moukandjo hit the winner for Lorient in a 3-2 victory at Stade Louis II.

The principality club, who remain without a home win after three attempts, were up against it when Didier Ibrahim N'Dong and Benjamin Jeannot put Lorient into a two-goal lead inside 20 minutes.

Almamy Toure and Thomas Lemar dragged Monaco back into the tie but Moukandjo's strike ultimately swung it in favour of Sylvain Ripoli's men.

Rony Lopes came close to scoring Monaco's first home goal of the season with a shot that deflected off Lamine Kone and ended up in Benjamin Lecomte's arms after only seven minutes.

But it would be Lorient who scored first, Ndong letting rip with a smooth, right-footed drive that beat Danijel Subasic in his top corner after 12 minutes.

Les Merlus doubled the lead six minutes later as Jeannot latched onto a Romain Philippoteaux pass to clip home, but their celebrations were short-lived as Monaco hit back.

Toure's header from six yards got Monaco back into the game and ASM might have equalised before the break, Lemar's effort just skimming past a post.

The summer signing from Caen had better luck following the break - steering a free-kick over the wall and beyond Lecomte two minutes after the restart.

Parity would not last for long, however, as Moukandjo plundered a winner for Lorient when controlling a cross from deep before coolly slotting past Subasic.