AS Monaco secured a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Stade Brest in their Ligue 1 encounter at the Stade Louis II, thanks in large part to a scintillating double from Maghnes Akliouche and a first goal of the season from Aleksandr Golovin.
Akiliouche got the home side off to a flying start, scoring after just five minutes of play. The youngster showed impressive composure to find the back of the net, and his strike looked to have set Monaco on their way to a convincing win.
Golovin doubled the lead 19 minutes into the game, and it appeared as though Monaco was going to run away with the match. The Brest defense was struggling to contain the hosts' attacking flair, and the visitors' inability to cope with Monaco's movement and interplay was resulting in a string of scoring opportunities.
However, Brest was able to get on the board before the interval, and the second half was a much more closely contested affair. The two teams traded blows, and Akliouche eventually sealed the win for Monaco with his second goal of the game.
Akiliouche's performance was the standout feature of the match. At just 21 years old, the winger has already shown glimpses of his undoubted talent this season, but this display against Brest will have done his growing reputation no harm at all.
For Brest, the defeat was a tough one to swallow. Despite showing admirable spirit to respond after going two goals down, the visitors ultimately came up just short. However, with some impressive performances in recent weeks, Brest will be hopeful that they can quickly bounce back from this setback.
The win sees Monaco leapfrog their opponents in the Ligue 1 table and will have provided a welcome boost to the team's confidence. With the likes of Akliouche and Golovin firing on all cylinders, the Principality club will be eyeing a strong finish to the campaign.