Monaco 2 – 1 FC Barcelona: Barça resurrect old ghosts and crash out on Champions League debut against Monaco

We don’t really know why, but the Champions League does not want in recent years Barca. He had just had an impeccable start to the season, leader and top scorer in La Liga, with a good game and unbeatable sensations… But at the first opportunity he crashed again heavily in Europe. [Así vivimos la derrota del Barça ante el Mónaco]

Everything was going wrong from the beginning. Eric Garcia He was sent off after ten minutes of play due to an unforgivable error by Ter Stegen -another in the history of the goalkeeper- and that irremediably conditioned the match. Barça could not be that team that Hansi Film had left traces there until now and was shipwrecked in the Principality.

Although the culés were able to survive in the first half thanks to Lamine Yamal and nothing else, the numerical inferiority was too heavy a burden to bear for the rest of the minutes. Monaco He found a way to open the box by taking advantage of a new dubious action from Ter Stegen and Barça starts this new Champions League at the bottom of an interminable ranking.

The expulsion

Barça had promised them very happy during their visit to Monaco. It was not surprising, because all the previous conditions invited optimism. An impeccable sequence in La Liga, an astonishing goal-scoring capacity, an opponent who is in no way among the favorites for the title in Champions… A red carpet to get you started.

However, everything started to go wrong too soon for the Catalans’ interests. And the big culprit was Ter Stegen. In an unfortunate game, but not the first time we have seen it at Barça in recent years, the goalkeeper was the trigger for the clear expulsion of Eric Garcia.

Ter Stegen passed the ball to the central defender, who had been transformed into a midfielder, while he had his back to goal and was clearly overtaken by a Monaco player. Following this compromised pass, Eric García lost the ball and immediately fouled his rival at the edge of the area while he was the last player.

The result, an indisputable red card and a complicated scenario from the start for those of Browse. Ter Stegen’s clearly unforgivable error has left the goalkeeper’s story raining on the wet.

As Raphinha came close to surprising the Monaco defence on a counter-attack, the hosts began to gradually take control of the match thanks to their superiority.

The prize reserved for the Principalities was not long in coming. Akiiouche He started the descent on the right wing, began to go around Barça’s rivals and managed to penetrate the area. There, he pulled his left leg back and with a low shot towards the small post, he beat Ter Stegen. The goalkeeper could surely have done something more, because he did not even drop to the ground to try to stop the shot.

The worst omens for a bankrupt Barça were thus confirmed. With the goal conceded, he had his worst minutes of the match. Monaco became the owner of the game and the culés were unable to steal the ball. They did not weave long possessions either, so the nightmare was real.

However, the boy prodigy came to the rescue. A minor who once again pulled the chestnuts out of the fire for Barça when everything was most difficult. Lamine Yamal reached the edge of the area in one of the few culés approaches and unleashed a shot with his left foot that hit the ball low. Kohn without being able to do anything.

The goal gave a lot of wings to a Barcelona that was seeing wolf ears and reliving old ghosts. Monaco continued to dominate the match and even had a goal disallowed for obvious offside, but failed to convert their numerical superiority into a goal again before the break.

Monaco kills

The start of the second half once again left a scenario in which Monaco was in control and Barça was waiting. Far from the image he had left in the first five games of The LeagueAlthough conditioned by the expulsion, the abutments resigned themselves to closing the spaces and entrusting everything to an isolated counter to try to do damage.

Monaco moved their chips at half-time looking for a little more bite, but it was difficult for them to warm up and put pressure on Ter Stegen. It took almost a quarter of an hour into the second half for the Principalities to really demand from the Culé goalkeeper. It was on a long-range shot from Vanderson that forced Ter Stegen to put in a great sequence.

Barça spoke to Lamine Yamal and nothing else in attack. Neither Lewandowski nor Raphinha, the star of Barça is him. Meanwhile, Monaco almost scored the second thanks to a shot from Minamino from inside the area after a hubbub in a corner.

In the least expected way, the Principality’s goal arrived. A long ball, a haircut at the height of the center of the field and a player one-on-one with Ter Stegen. Ilenikhena He entered the unmarked area during an incomprehensible error by the Culé defense and executed a powerful shot against which, however, Ter Stegen could have done much more. It was not the goalkeeper’s best night.

Barça was against the canvas. There was even a penalty in favor of Monaco in the final moments that the referee rejected after reviewing the VAR. It was not serious, Flick’s team had no oxygen and ended up kneeling in Monaco.

Monaco 2-1 Barca

Monegasque: Kohn; Vanderson (Mawissa, min.88), Kehrer, Salisu, Singo; Camara (Golovin, min.46), Zakaria; Akliouche, Minamino (Balogun, min.69), Ben Seghir (Caio Henrique, min.69); and Embolo (Ilenikhena, min.59).

Barcelona: Ter Stegen Kounde, Cubarsí (Sergi Domínguez, min.80), Íñigo Martínez, Balde (Ansu Fati, min.88); Pedri (Pablo Torre, min.83), Eric Garcia, Casadó; Lamine Yamal (Gérard Martín, min.80), Raphinha; and Lewandowski (Ferran, min.80).

Goals: 1-0: Akliouche, 16th minute. 1-1: Lamine Yamal, 28 minutes. 2-1: Ilenikhena, min.72.

Arbitrator: Allard Lindhout (HOL). He sanctioned Ben Seghir (min.30), Camara (min.36), Íñigo Martínez (min.75), Balde (min.85), Raphinha (min.85), Zakaria (min.90+2) with a yellow card. . Eric Garcia was sent off with a red card (min.11)

Incidents: Match of the first day of the Champions League played at the Stade Luis II in Monaco in front of around 18,000 spectators.