AS Monaco’s push for a UEFA Champions League place suffered a setback as they fought back from two goals down to earn a 2-2 draw against AJ Auxerre in Ligue 1 at Stade Louis II.
Still reeling from their heavy defeat to Paris FC in their previous outing, Monaco made a shaky start and fell behind with Auxerre’s first real chance.
A cleared corner dropped kindly to Kevin Danois, who struck a superb volley into the bottom corner to stun the hosts.
Monaco tried to respond, with Maghnes Akliouche testing Donovan Léon, but his effort was comfortably gathered. Auxerre, however, remained dangerous, and Lukas Hrádecký was forced into action to deny Fredrik Oppegård.
The visitors doubled their lead just past the half-hour mark, with Hrádecký at fault as he allowed Lassine Sinayoko’s effort to slip under his body.
Auxerre nearly added a third before the break, but Sy Diomandé’s looping header landed on the roof of the net.
Monaco emerged with renewed urgency after halftime and began to apply pressure. Léon was called into action early in the second half, pushing away a curling effort from Jordan Teze.
But he had no answer moments later when Ansu Fati drilled a strike into the bottom corner after being set up by Akliouche, halving the deficit.
The comeback gathered momentum before the hour mark when Monaco were awarded a penalty after Léon ought down Folarin Balogun.
The forward stepped up and calmly converted, extending his remarkable scoring run to eight consecutive Ligue 1 matches, a feat achieved by only a handful of players this century.
Balogun thought he had completed the turnaround with a fierce finish from a tight angle, but his effort was ruled out for offside.
Auxerre were dealt another setback late on when Léon was forced off through injury, yet they managed to hold firm and secure a valuable point in their fight against relegation, staying six points clear of Nantes.
For Monaco, the result leaves them still outside the European spots, though their second-half fightback will offer some encouragement despite the missed opportunity.
