Barcelona’s Champions League journey kicked off with a rocky begin, falling 2-1 to Monaco in a match stuffed with drama. Eric Garcia noticed purple early on, leaving the Catalans to struggle uphill with ten males for practically 80 minutes. It was a tough capsule to swallow.
Monaco capitalized quick. Maghnes Akliouche broke via, scoring after Garcia’s dismissal for a foul on Takumi Minamino. Barcelona’s teenage sensation, Lamine Yamal, introduced a glimmer of hope with a shocking equalizer, changing into the second-youngest scorer in UCL historical past at simply 17 years previous. But, Monaco had the final snicker.
With simply 20 minutes left, George Ilenikhena netted the winner, catching Marc-Andre ter Stegen off guard with a low shot. The Barcelona goalkeeper, who had earlier put Garcia in a troublesome spot with a dangerous go, admitted to the error. The ultimate blow? A disallowed penalty for Monaco after VAR overview.
Regardless of a spirited effort, Barcelona’s European struggles proceed. Hansi Flick’s males might want to regroup quick as they face a protracted street forward.