There are early-season wins that simply add points, and then there are wins that start shaping the table. AS Monaco's 2-0 victory over Olympique Marseille felt like the second kind, because Paris Brunner did more than decide the match — he put Monaco alone at the top of Ligue 1 after two matchdays.
Brunner struck in the 13th minute and again in the 54th, giving Monaco a lead they never let slip. The result made them the only Ligue 1 team to win both of their first two matches, and that is a meaningful early marker in a title race that already has some unexpected tension.
Brunner is already changing Monaco's attack
This was not Brunner's first decisive contribution in Monaco colors, either. Before Sunday evening, he had already scored in the qualifying round for the Conference League against Gornik Zabrze, finding the net in both legs of a tie Monaco won 3-2 and 4-1. That matters because it suggests this was not a one-off burst of finishing form. Monaco are already learning that they have a forward who can affect games in different contexts, against different levels of pressure.
What makes the Marseille result more interesting is the timing around it. Monaco have started the league campaign with two wins, while Paris Saint-Germain still had no win after two matchdays. That does not decide a season in August, of course, but it does change the conversation. Monaco are not just collecting points; they are making an early case that their start is more stable than the one of the usual benchmark clubs.
For Brunner, the brace also sharpened an obvious question: how much more important can he become if Monaco keep building this way? A striker who scores in Europe and then delivers twice in a league match is no longer just part of the story. He is beginning to shape it.
The next test arrives quickly enough, with Monaco scheduled to meet SC Freiburg in the league phase ahead. For now, though, the bigger takeaway is simple. Monaco have the early lead, and Paris Brunner is one of the reasons why.
