Monaco slump again ahead of Champions League date

Saint-Étienne (France) (AFP) – Monaco slumped to their sixth defeat in all competitions this season when they lost 2-0 at Saint Etienne, a worrying setback just days before they face Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.

Monaco, runners-up in Ligue 1 to Paris Saint Germain last season, remain third from bottom of the table with just one victory — achieved on the opening day of the campaign — to their name.

Friday’s loss was Monaco’s second defeat of the week after they went down 1-0 to Angers on Tuesday.

That embarrassment prompted under-fire coach Leonardo Jardim to make seven changes to his starting line-up but the radical surgery had little effect.

Radamel Falcao wasted a handful of chances before Saint Etienne took a grip on the game.

Tunisian midfielder Wahbi Khazri opened the scoring four minutes before half-time when he latched on to a cross from Norwegian teammate Ole Selnaes to beat Monaco goalkeeper Diego Benaglio.

Khazri added a second in the 54th minute for his 40th career goal in Ligue 1 and his fourth of the season.

Saint Etienne are now second in the table, six points behind PSG who have a perfect seven wins in seven games.