AS Monaco were held to a goalless draw against Lens , in their final game of the Ligue 1 season on Sunday.
The result was enough to secure Niko Kovac’s side a play-off place in the Champions League next season after Lyon succumbed to a 3-2 loss to Nice in the other Ligue 1 fixture.
The hosts, who had crashed out of the title race following a 2-3 loss to Lyon early this month, entered the tie on a run of two consecutive wins. But despite dominating the ball against Lens, they could not find a way past the stubborn Lens defence.
The visitors started the brighter of both sides and thought they had scored in the tenth minute of the game through Benoit Badiashile. But the goal was ruled out for offside.
The visitors continued to dominate, boasting a ball possession of over 65% with a total of ten attempts against the zero recorded by their hosts. Despite the impressive numbers, which saw them register a total of 19 goal attempts by the end of the match, the visitors did not come close to scoring throughout the game. They were equally lucky not to concede in the 76th minute when Lens’ Seko Fofana pulled away from his marker to pull a shot at the Monaco goal. But the Frenchman’s shot came off the left post to keep the game level as both sides shared one point each.
What it means for Monaco?
The win means that Monaco have now qualified for the UEFA Champions League qualification stage, where they will play with other teams in Europe to book a place in the group stages.
However, if Manchester United win their Europa League final match against Villareal, Les Monégasques will qualify automatically for the group stages.
Niko Kovač’s side end the season with 24 wins for this season—behind only PSG and level with Ligue 1 winners Lille.
Meanwhile, Lens finish in 7th place with 15 wins and one point shy of a place in the Europa Conference League.
