FT: Coventry City 2-0 Monaco live Simms and Tchaouna give Sky Blues friendly win
· Brian Dick · 2026-08-14T16:48:53+00:00 · nguồn gốc
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FT: Coventry City 2-0 AS Monaco live Simms and Tchaouna give Sky Blues friendly win
Coventry City face AS Monaco in their final pre-season friendly ahead of their Premier League return
Coventry City complete their pre-season programme with a home friendly with Ligue 1 outfit AS Monaco.
They do so six days after coming from behind to beat RCD Espanyol in their CBS Arena return – and four after sealing a deal to bring Gustavo Hamer back to the club.
The midfielder is expected to be named in the squad for tonight's match, while fans will also be keen to see more of Aurele Amenda and Loum Tchaouna.
The game kicks off at 7.30pm, with team news expected in the next hour. We’re hoping to hear from Frank Lampard after the match too.
Reach Football Correspondent Brian Dick is in the press-box at the CBS Arena so stay tuned and you won’t miss a thing.
Key Events
City completed their pre-season programme with a comfortable victory over AS Monaco. The Sky Blues scored twice in the first half through Ellis Simms and Loum Tchaouna on a night that saw Gustavo Hamer return to the club. The popular midfielder played the final quarter of the match with virtually his every touch cheered. City now prepare for their trip to Arsenal next Friday night.
That's it, City finish off with a win.
It's Arsenal away next up.
Ratings and reaction to come tonight though.
Grimes curled over a free kick to the back post and Amenda headed down and in but the goal was disallowed.
First a really good tip over after Nazinho's cross looked as though it might drop in.
Then he's just done a Cruyff turn to elude a striker and pick out van Ewijk from 30 yards.
Compsed stuff from the 'keeper.
Ten to go and it's looking a bit scrappy after all those Monaco changes.
City fans have been signing his song for about five minutes now and there was a massive cheer when Dasilva let the ball run under his foot and out for a throw-in.
That signalled an end to Yirenkyi's night and the start of Hamer's second chapter in Sky Blue.
To be fair, they're still singing it, might have that in my head as I close my eyes tonight. For what it's worth, he's dropped into the middle, slightly in front of Grimes and Onyeka.
Looks like Hamer will be introduced soon, he's been summoned to the bench and sent back out to warm up with more intensity.
It'll be interesting to see whether he's put in the middle or used out wide.
Monaco are making three subs, with Vanderson, Cabral and Golovin all coming on.
City were caught upfield there after a free kick. Biereth lifted the ball over the top for Stanis Idumbo who had the entire half to run in to. Slightly to the left of goal he showed a clean pair of heels but as he closed in on goal he hammered the ball over the bar.
And away we go, no changes for City, hopefully in performance levels as much as personnel.
It'll be interesting to see how long Yirekyi gets, as he wins another 50-50 in the middle of the park.
It's been some debut.
That's been a genuinely exciting performance from City so far.
Not sure how AS Monaco compare to Premier League opposition, they don't look that desperate to win duels to be honest, but the Sky Blues are way better.
This is really enjoyable.
That half hour from the Sky Blues has been excellent, so many good aspects to their play with and without the ball, not flawless but very, very good.
Yirenkyi has really caught the eye, fast and strong into the tackle, reading the game well, nice range on his passing and a real engine. You can see why Lampard brought him in.
Monaco have had a couple of openings, Teze has just blazed one high and wide of the near post on the right, that wasn't the percentage option.
32 A superb pass from Yirenkyi set Tchaouna free to the right of the area. The winger took a touch and buried it past Lukas Hradecky from the angle. Super pass, super finish from the two new players.
22' Important tackle from Van Ewijk because he’d allowed his man to run off him inside and into the penalty. A perfectly, if slightly desperate sliding tackle closed down the danger. Monaco are having more ball and territory now.
City's early forays have been quelled but they do look sharp on the break.
12' Brilliant move from City. Dasilva does well to feed Grimes from right on the toughline on half way. The captain takes two strides then slides a perfectly-weighted pass through the middle for Simms to race away. The striker strokes his shot across the goal and inside the post. Clinical play
Action up the other end. Mika Biereth is sent clean through to the left of goal, City were sliced open then.
His low shot is tipped away from the far post by Rushworth.
City are all over Monaco who can't get out, they're inviting trouble to be fair.
Dasilva has just curled in a low cross that has found Thomas-Asante but his volley was at the 'keeper too.
Yirenkyi's first action for his new team is a thundering block tackle on Matthis Abline that leaves him holding his shin and writhing in agony. The deflection goes from the D out to the corner flag where it ricochets and stays in play.
Very sturdy stuff from the new man.
His second act is to race into the Monaco penalty area to latch on to a square pass from Ellis Simms but with the goal at his mercy he blasted it at the goalkeeper.
The teams are out, City in their sky blue and white striped shirts, Monaco are dressed in what I am told is 'grape-brown'.
Not sure I'd be going anywhere near a brown grape but maybe we'll settle for deep burgundy/maroon.
Anyway, as this fashion bulletin ends, a football match begins.
Some familiar names there, not least former Spurs midfielder/defender Eric Dier.
Captain Denis Zakaria was on loan at Chelsea.
Folarin Balogun isn't involved tonight, amid links with Spurs.
Caleb Yirenkyi starts for the first time in a Sky Blues shirt. It's about a week since he joined from Danish outfit Nordsjælland for a fee reported as around £23million. Looks like he'll be in a midfield three with Matt Grimes and Frank Onyeka. With a back four that includes Bobby Thomas and Aurele Amenda that means we're probably looking at a 4-3-3 with Loum Tchaouna and Brandon Thomas-Asante either side of Ellis Simms.I'll feed back if that is not the case.
City are reportedly keen on signing Chelsea defender Josh Acheampong this summer with the Blues open to a transfer.
That's according to TalkSPORT, who claim the Chelsea defender who was previously labelled as untouchable during the current summer transfer window, could now be available to leave Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea are understood to have turned down several approaches for the versatile defender earlier this summer, with Xabi Alonso planning for him to feature this season.
The Sky Blues have had a mixed bag of results so far, but it's not about results, it't about building fitness and not picking up injuries.
So far it's been:
Sky Blues 2 AFC Wimbledon 3
Sky Blues 0 Northampton Town 0
Sky Blues 1 WBA 1
Sky Blues 3 Espanyol 1
And welcome to the CBS Arena and the Sky Blues' final pre-season match.
They face AS Monaco, who are also playing their final game of the summer ahead of next Thursday's UEFA Conference League opener.
Everyone knows City open their campaign away to Premier League champions Arsenal this time next week.
We'll have team news around an hour before kick-off.