A calamitous start — from Barcelona’s goalkeeper, one of their midfielders and the referee — created an eventful encounter at the Stade Louis II on Thursday as one of the greatest American sportsmen watched on.
Eric Garcia was sent off early on, despite initially receiving a yellow card having brought down Takumi Minamino following a hospital pass from Marc-Andre ter Stegen. A red card was eventually confirmed (despite the referee Allard Lindhout at first showing a yellow) and Garcia walked.
Monaco swiftly took the lead before 17-year-old Lamine Yamal, in front of NBA legend Michael Jordan, who watched on from the stands, brought 10-man Barca level and became the second-youngest goalscorer in the Champions League.
However, playing with 10 men took its toll on Barcelona, and Monaco secured the three points when 18-year-old George Ilenikhena scored the winner to become Monaco’s youngest Champions League goalscorer, breaking a record set by Kylian Mbappe.
Here, Thom Harris and Laia Cervelló Herrero break down the action.
Michael Jordan was in attendance (Miguel Medina/AFP via Getty Images)
A comedy of errors: Ter Stegen, Garcia — and the referee
It’s difficult not to feel for Garcia. Following a stellar season on loan at Girona, the 23-year-old returned to Barcelona in the summer, where it has never quite clicked.
He was given an unexpected opportunity tonight — stepping into a defensive midfield role to allow Marc Casado to step forward in the absence of Dani Olmo — but it was one fraught with risk. Monaco led the way for high turnovers in Ligue 1 last season, not afraid to push high and apply pressure when the opposition attempted to play out from the back, and they immediately identified an out-of-position centre-back at the base of Barcelona’s midfield as an area to pounce.
Garcia was not helped by his goalkeeper Ter Stegen, whose indecision meant that the simple pass to either Pau Cubarsi or Inigo Martinez was closed down. Minamino stuck to Garcia like glue in the opening moments and darted forward as soon as he sensed the hesitation on Ter Stegen’s mind.
Garcia positions himself to let the pass roll across his body and into midfield, shielding the ball from Minamino on his back, but the ball lacks pace and allows the former Liverpool man to nip in ahead.
Desperately trying to recover, a tangle of legs and a subsequent trip denied a clear goalscoring opportunity.
Initially, the referee raised the yellow card. Before later revealing a red. There were no complaints from Garcia, apart from those surely to be aimed at his keeper.
At 9 minutes and 26 seconds, it became the earliest dismissal in Barcelona’s Champions League history, just five months after Ronald Araujo was sent off after 29 minutes against Paris Saint-Germain for a similar tangle of legs.
It left Barcelona exposed for an alarming spell in the immediate aftermath, as Monaco found real joy attacking Alejandro Balde’s flank with extra support from rampant full-back Wilfried Singo, able to double up on that side with the man advantage.
Garcia just can’t seem to escape the spotlight; after a leap forward last season, this was another unfortunate step back.
Thom Harris
Is Yamal Barca’s talisman at 17?
The moments are simply coming too thick and fast for Yamal for this to just be a flash in the pan. Barcelona’s 17-year-old winger is a genuine game-breaker, and this was another contest that he almost tilted on its head.
Things were looking shakey after the early red, as Monaco threw men forward and trapped Barcelona in their own defensive third. Just weathering the storm would have been a positive, but a floated pass over the top from Casado to give Yamal a run at his full-back was all that was required to get back into the game.
The subtleties of the goal showed experience well beyond his age: a sudden change of pace to hold off a back-tracking defender, allowing him to latch directly onto the bouncing ball, as well as a quick chop back inside to put Mohammed Salisu on the back foot, and the crisp finish back across goal and into the bottom corner.
Already his fourth goal this season, on top of four assists, he is making quite the habit of stepping up. More generally, Yamal’s assurance in possession gave Barcelona a reliable outlet to escape pressure, holding the width down the right-hand side, always available for the raking switch of play.
As his passes-received map below illustrates, Flick’s side weren’t afraid to use that pass, already placing so much trust in his ability to bring the ball down, drift inside, and create danger without the need for too much support.
The statistics back up Yamal’s influence so far this season, not only the player with the most touches in the opposition half in La Liga but also with the most ball-recoveries and tackles in the final third. Although not Barcelona’s night, this was another game that illustrated not only the potential, the ability that is already there.
Thom Harris
No luck for Pedri
The red card for Garcia did not only frustrate the centre-back, who has had a hard time getting minutes, but also Pedri.
The midfielder seems to have fully recovered from the various injuries he has suffered in recent seasons and has found his best form in a position closer to the penalty area.
One of the doubts before the game was how Hansi Flick was going to make up for the absence of Dani Olmo. The head coach decided to line up with two players closer to the base of the box: Garcia and Casado.
This would leave more freedom for Pedri, on the left flank, to get forward and make more forays into the opposition box. However, with Garcia’s sending off, Pedri had to move back a little more, leaving Raphinha as a link-up player.
Because of a very unfortunate situation — not of his making — Pedri was unable to play in the position in which he shines the most. However, he was still intense in pressing and recovering balls.
Laia Cervelló Herrero
What did Hansi Flick say?
Speaking to CBS Sports after the match, Flick said: “I told them to keep their heads up, we tried to get a result with one player less. We came back to 1-1, we defended with a lot of passion. But you can see they have a lot of speed, Monaco, and they deserved the win.
“The most important thing now is to recover because we have two days to get our energy back before Sunday when we play Villarreal, which will be a tough match.
“We have seven matches to go. We lost but I am positive about this because today I saw a lot of good things from the team but also situations where we can do better.
When asked about Yamal, Flick said: “Lamine is a fantastic player, the goal he scored was great and he gave us confidence back. But we also have to protect these players in La Liga and the Champions League.”
What next for Barcelona?
Sunday, September 22: Villarreal (A), Competition, 17:30 (GMT), 12:30 (ET)
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(Top photo: MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP via Getty Images)
