Ansu Fati Seals 2-1 Win as Metz – Monaco Ends in Relegation

Metz – Monaco ended with Metz relegated to Ligue 2 after a 2-1 defeat on Saturday. A late Ansu Fati goal in the 90th+1 minute turned a lead into a loss, and Monaco climbed to sixth place while keeping its Champions League hopes alive.

Deminguet Put Metz Ahead

Jessy Deminguet gave Metz a 1-0 lead in the 49th minute, heading in Gauthier Hein’s free kick. For a brief stretch, the result was enough to pull Metz away from the edge they had been walking all season.

That lead did not last. Folarin Balogun equalized for Monaco in the 61st minute, and the game tightened from there as Metz searched for a response in a match that carried the weight of an entire season.

Hein Missed Twice Late

Hein came closest to restoring control in the closing minutes. He struck the left post in the 79th minute, then forced Lukas Hradecky into a dangerous save in the 89th.

Monaco answered almost immediately. Mika Biereth set up Fati for the winner in added time, and the strike left Metz with 22 defeats through 32 matchdays. They had not held a lead since 4 January before Deminguet’s header, a statistic that matched the season’s broader struggle to protect advantages.

Monaco and Pogba Move On

Paul Pogba made his first start in nearly three years for Monaco, a separate headline within a match Monaco still had to win. The result delivered the points they needed to move into sixth place, while Metz’s first season back in Ligue 1 ended one year after direct promotion.

Bouna Sarr did not hide the pain after the final whistle: “C'est cruel, on méritait mieux”. For Metz, the next stage is the second division; for Monaco, the late goal kept the table within reach and the margin for error small.