A brilliant brace from Ansu Fati from the penalty spot saved Monaco from a home defeat at the Stade Louis II, as they drew 2-2 against Nice in the latest edition of the Côte d’Azur Derby. The visitors played with ten men for over an hour following the red card shown to Tunisian defender Ali Abdi, yet came close to taking all three points in this Matchday 7 clash of the Ligue 1 season.

Nice Strikes First Despite Early Sending Off

Adi Hütter’s side was caught off guard early in the match. Sofiane Diop opened the scoring for Nice with a spectacular curling shot to the far post after receiving a clever assist from Mohamed Ali Cho, leaving the Monaco defense with no chance.

Just five minutes later, Ali Abdi picked up his second yellow card, forcing Nice to play with ten men. Despite the numerical disadvantage, the visitors doubled their lead on a swift counterattack. Melvin Bard delivered a cross that struck the hand of Krépin Diatta, leading to a penalty after VAR review. Diop converted confidently from the spot to complete his brace and make it 0-2 for Franck Haise’s men.

Ansu Fati Leads Monaco’s Comeback

Before halftime, Monaco found a lifeline. A header from Mika Biereth during a corner struck the hand of Antoine Mendy, and the referee awarded a penalty after another VAR check. Ansu Fati stepped up and slotted it home to reduce the deficit.

The equalizer came in the 56th minute. A long ball from Jordan Teze to Folarin Balogun resulted in a foul inside the box by Canadian defender Moise Bombito, and once again Ansu Fati made no mistake from the spot to level the match at 2-2.

Despite playing more than half an hour with a man advantage, Monaco couldn’t capitalize on their chances and had to settle for a draw. This marks their second straight setback, dropping them to fifth place in the Ligue 1 standings.