AS Monaco defeats FC Barcelona!
Finally, a big match for a French club on the first day of the Champions League. AS Monaco hosted FC Barcelona at the Louis II Stadium for their entry into the competition. Despite facing such a formidable opponent, who had a perfect start in La Liga (5 wins in 5 matches), the Principality club was determined to make a good impression. They pressed high on Ter Stegen’s goal kicks, and rightly so. In an almost inexplicable move, the German goalkeeper took an unnecessary risk by passing the ball straight to Eric Garcia. Minamino anticipated this, beat the Spaniard, who had no choice but to pull him down. A logical red card was shown as early as the 10th minute. Almost immediately afterward, Akliouche made a brilliant move down the right wing and beat Ter Stegen with a sharp shot (1-0, 16′)!
It was an ideal start for Monaco, but Embolo failed to capitalize on it, missing several favorable chances (14′, 27′). Barcelona took advantage of Monaco’s inefficiency and equalized through the inevitable Lamine Yamal. The young Spanish winger, who had been quiet until then, came alive, dribbling past Salisu at the edge of the box and firing a shot similar to Akliouche’s, beating Köhn (1-1, 28′). Despite the setback, Monaco maintained control of the game, aided by their numerical superiority, but lacked precision in the final third. As a result, coach Adi Hütter decided to bring on Aleksandr Golovin at halftime, replacing Lamine Camara.
Ilenikhena Secures the Win
The Russian midfielder immediately took control of the game, organizing Monaco’s play. However, it was Köhn’s alertness that was crucial as he rushed out of his goal to prevent Raphinha from going one-on-one (52′), following a brilliant play by Yamal. The match’s tempo slowed, with Monaco struggling to find space. Vanderson tested Ter Stegen with a nice shot (57′), but the breakthrough was still missing. Hütter replaced the disappointing Embolo with new signing Ilenikhena. With Monaco still lacking inspiration, Balogun and Caio Henrique were introduced to push for a win.
The decisive moment came from a beautiful through ball by Vanderson, finding Ilenikhena. The 18-year-old forward found himself alone against Ter Stegen and fired a powerful shot. The German goalkeeper, having anticipated a different shot, was beaten (2-1, 71′). Monaco regained the lead as expected. Balogun almost increased the score, but this time Ter Stegen made a solid save (80′). The American forward made a strong impact and even thought he had earned a penalty, initially awarded by the referee but overturned after a VAR review. On the Barcelona side, Hansi Flick appeared to concede defeat, substituting both Lewandowski and Yamal. FC Barcelona suffered their first defeat of the season, and it was AS Monaco who delivered it. The Monegasque club starts their Champions League campaign perfectly, with a favorable schedule in the coming days (Dinamo Zagreb and Red Star Belgrade).