MONACO, SEPT 20 – Barcelona lost 2-1 to Monaco in their Champions League opener yesterday, after Eric Garcia was sent off early in the match.
Hansi Flick’s side, who started the season with a perfect record in five La Liga games, struggled to maintain their best form against the Ligue 1 club.
Monaco opened the scoring through Maghnes Akliouche after Garcia was sent off for fouling Takumi Minamino.
Lamine Yamal equalized for Barcelona with a beautiful goal, but George Ilenikhena confirmed Monaco’s victory in the 71st minute.
“The victory over Barcelona, one of the biggest clubs in Europe, makes us feel happy and proud,” said Monaco coach Adi Hutter. “We played with passion and created many chances.”
Barcelona, who have won the Champions League five times, most recently in 2015, have struggled in European competition in recent years, particularly away from home.
The defeat added to the pressure on the Spanish giants.
“After 10 minutes of the red card, the game changed completely, but what I saw was a positive effort from the team,” Flick told reporters. “We tried to defend and attack as a team, but today they deserved to win 2-1, so we have to accept it.” – AFP
