AS Monaco had – by far – the most difficult match of the French clubs for the first day of the Champions League (exceptionally spread over three days). On Thursday, the Louis-II residents beat FC Barcelona, the very good leader of La Liga at the start of the season, on the field by a score of 2-1. It must be said that the Red and Whites played almost the entire match with a numerical advantage!
After Eric Garcia was sent off for a foul on Takumi Minamino near the Blaugrana area (11th), Maghnes Akliouche opened the scoring with a great left-footed strike (16th). With 10 against 11, FCB did what it could, watched in particular by Michael Jordan. The phenomenon Lamine Yamal equalized for the visitors with a terrible strike for Philipp Köhn (28th). The 17-year-old, exceptional at Euro 2024, scored his very first goal in the Champions League!
Monaco thanks to its 18-year-old star
The Monegasques pushed in the second half, Adi Hütter opted for offensive changes (with the entry of Aleksandr Golovin in midfield), and it was finally George Ilenikhena who gave his team the advantage, with a powerful strike that deceived Marc-André ter Stegen (71st). A memorable entry into play for the 18-year-old Franco-Nigerian striker, who also became the youngest scorer in the history of ASM in C1 ahead of a certain Kylian Mbappé.
“We can go very far”confided the hero of the day after the match, on Canal+ Foot. Monaco did well to start its European campaign with a success since its calendar is particularly difficult. The club from the Principality will challenge Dinamo Zagreb and Red Star Belgrade in the coming weeks, before clashes against Bologna (in Italy), Benfica (at Louis-II), Arsenal (at the Emirates), Aston Villa (at home) and Inter (in Milan). Just that!
