AS Monaco Secure a Famous Win as Barcelona Suffer Their First Defeat of the Season

Despite starting the 2024/25 campaign in blistering fashion, Barcelona succumbed to a defeat in their Champions League opener against AS Monaco. Goals from Maghnes Akliouche and George Ilenikhena secured a famous win for Les Monegasque.

With prominent figures such as Prince Albert of Monaco, Michael Jordan and France head coach Didier Deschamps in the stands, Monaco pulled off one of the surprises of the Champions League's opening week. But they had a bit of help from Barcelona’s goalkeeper, Marc-Andre Ter Stegen, who had a night to forget. It all started when Ter Stegen’s pass was intercepted by Takumi Minamino, leading to Eric Garcia bringing him down and getting sent off—just 10 minutes into the game. With Barca already on the backfoot, France’s Olympic silver medalist Maghnes Akliouche broke the deadlock in the 16th minute. The 22-year-old winger weaved through the Barca defense before unleashing a powerful strike past Ter Stegen into the bottom left corner. 

Even with a man down, Barca fought back and found an equalizer in the 28th minute, courtesy of young sensation Lamine Yamal. The 17-year-old fired a low shot from the edge of the box, leaving Monaco’s keeper with no chance. This was Yamal’s first goal in the Champions League, making him the second youngest goalscorer in the competition’s history, only behind teammate Ansu Fati.  

With the scores tied, both teams enter the halftime break with the scores level. But with a man advantage, Les Monegasque created the majority of the chance. Monaco took 18 shots, out of which 8 were on target. Meanwhile, Les Culers managed only four shots, with just one hitting the target. This dominance soon bore fruits for Monaco, as Ilenikhena scored the winner in the 71st minute. But in all honesty, it was a Ter Stegen howler. The German goalkeeper should have easily parried the shot.  

Following their loss, head coach Hansi Flick admitted that Monaco were the better team on the night in a post-match interview. He said, “Yes, the game changed completely [after the red]. We tried at all times, we defended with passion. We made some mistakes, but we tried to score goals. We had some chances, but they deserved to win... We lost, okay, I told the players that, but now we have to come back stronger, recover for Sunday’s game. We have to give our best and fight for the team. We lost this game, but we will continue to fight.” Barcelona can’t afford to dwell on this defeat for long, with a clash against Villarreal looming this weekend. As for their Champions League journey, they’ll be back in action in two weeks to face Young Boys in what will surely be another crucial test.