Thilo Kehrer and Takumi Minamino of AS Monaco celebrate the victory after the match on September 19, 2024.
12:55 JST, September 20, 2024
MONACO (Reuters) – Barcelona made a disappointing start to their Champions League campaign by losing 2-1 to AS Monaco on Thursday after suffering an early setback with the dismissal of defender Eric Garcia.
Barcelona got off to a dramatic start at the Stade Louis II stadium when Garcia was shown a red card after 11 minutes for a foul on AS Monaco’s Takumi Minamino, who was left in front of goal after a wrong pass from goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen.
“We didn’t understand each other at that moment, I feel sorry for Eric,” Ter Stegen told Movistar Plus.
“We played 80 minutes with one less. That’s a football thing. The defeat hurts, because with 10 men on the field we gave everything and tried to get a point.”
Five minutes later, the home side took the lead when Maghnes Akliouche fired a low shot into the net, before Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal equalised in the 28th minute with a strike from the edge of the penalty area.
It was the first goal in the Champions League for Yamal, who in 2019 became the second-youngest goalscorer (17 years, 68 days) in the competition, behind teammate Ansu Fati (17 years, 40 days).
Monaco kept pressing and were rewarded in the 71st minute when substitute George Ilenikhena slotted past Ter Stegen to secure victory, their first appearance on the main stage in five years in Europe’s elite club competition.
“The game changed completely (with the red card),” said Barcelona manager Hansi Flick.
“We tried all the time, we defended with passion. We made some mistakes, but we tried to score goals. We had some chances, but they deserved to win.
“Now we have to come back stronger, recover for Sunday’s game (at Villarreal in LaLiga). We have to do our best and fight for the team,” the German coach added.
