Report & Highlights: Palace dethrone Monaco to top International Cup group

Summary

• França, Ahamada and Matthews all started amidst six changes

• Palace threaten early on through two corners

• França opens the scoring 15 minutes in with a near-post flick on

• Ahamada sees a fierce shot turned behind five minutes later

• Ebiowei doubles the lead for Palace half an hour in with a stunning strike

• Imray and Ola-Adebomi nearly add a third  before half-time

• HT: Palace 2-0 Monaco

• Matthews turns Etonde’s effort inside the box behind early on

• Ebiowei spots the ‘keeper off his line and tries a long-range effort 55 minutes in

• Bery saw his free-kick in the 70th minute tipped behind by Matthews

• Baglieri pulled one back for the visitors in the 83rd minute

• Mathurin seals all three points after a Palace counter late on

• One of Monaco’s coaching staff is shown a red card

• FT:  Palace 3-1 Monaco

Following the conclusion of the October international break, Palace’s Under-21s returned to action in the Premier League International Cup as they welcomed Group C leaders AS Monaco to Sutton United’s VBS Community Stadium

Head coach Darren Powell had new summer signing Matheus França in his squad from the off, after the 19-year-old made his first-team debut off the bench at Newcastle on the weekend.

Matheus França was one of six changes to the side, which also included the likes of Remi Matthews in goal and Naouirou Ahamada in midfield.

Backed by over a thousand-strong crowd in Sutton, Palace got off to a strong start early on. A succession of corners weren’t dealt with early on and the Eagles managed to capitalise from one.

Malcolm Ebiowei whipped in a ball low and hard to the near post and it was França that reacted quickest, getting a touch to guide the ball home past Yan Lienard in the Monaco goal.

França’s goal came a quarter of an hour in and that proved to be the catalyst for further Palace attacks as the half went on. Ahamada saw a fierce effort parried behind a few minutes later, and Ebiowei was a constant threat with multiple corners peppering the Monaco defence.

Just past the half-hour mark, the Eagles doubled their lead. Captain Seán Grehan played a searching ball over the top from the edge of his own box and managed to pick out Ebiowei. The winger latched onto it, drifted past his man into the box and curled a delightful effort into the side netting.

As half-time beckoned, the Eagles almost made it three and the two goalscorers almost turned providers. Ebiowei first slipped in Danny Imray on the byline, though the right-back’s shot went just across the face of goal and a minute later França skipped past his man to feed an onrushing Ola-Adebomi, who saw his shot smothered.

After the break, the Monégasques looked for a way back into the game and nearly pulled one back just a minute after the restart. Matthews was called into action, effectively for the first time in the match, as he turned Romaric Etonde’s effort inside the box behind.

At the other end, Ebiowei almost scored another memorable goal for the evening as he tried an audacious effort from the edge of the centre circle. He spotted Lienard off his line, though his attempt went wide of the mark.

Matthews was called into action again as Monaco grew into the game. He did well to stop Bery’s goalbound free-kick from 20-yards out and also pulled off a fantastic double save before the visitors were awarded a penalty in the 83rd minute.

Enzo Baglieri, a second-half substitute, stepped up from the spot for Monaco and sent Matthews the wrong way, halving the deficit and giving them a lifeline back in the dying embers of the game.

Palace quickly stifled any sense of hope the visitors had after notching a third just before stoppage time. A perfectly timed sliding challenge from Ebiowei saw him win the ball back in the defensive third before slipping it through to Franco Umeh who went on a marauding run into the Monaco box.

The Irish U19 international was unselfish as he squared it across the box to pick out Roshaun Mathurin who took a touch and finished with ease from close range.

Powell’s side saw out the rest of the game with relative ease, securing a vital three points which moves them to the top of Group C in the Premier League International Cup.

Palace: Matthews (GK), Imray, Ferguson, Grehan, Adaramola, Reid (Umeh, 80), Ozoh (Devenny, 45), Ahamada (Mathurin, 45), Ebiowei (Francis, 88), Ola-Adebomi, França (Wells-Morrison, 45).

Sub not used: Izquierdo (GK), Akinwale.

Monaco: Lienard (GK), Platret, Cartilier (Babai, 63), Valme, Bery, Bamba, Coulibaly, Diop, Etonde (Baglieri, 78), Ben Seghir (Bouabré, 63), Efekele (Michal, 45).

Subs not used: Baranik, Yacoub, Zadi.