Barcelona’s flawless season began on Thursday when they lost 2-1 to Monaco in the Champions League, which was altered by the dismissal of defender Eric Garcia after just 11 minutes of play.
After Takumi Minamino of Japan snagged a frightened pass from Marc-André ter Stegen, the goalkeeper for Barcelona, Garcia hauled the striker back.
Under new coach Hansi Flick, Barcelona won its first five league games in the Spanish league; nevertheless, midfielder Maghnes Akliouche of Monaco gave them the lead in the sixteenth.
In front of national team coach Didier Deschamps, Akliouche, a French Olympian, scored from the right side of the penalty box. There were other well-known faces in the Stade Louis II audience besides Deschamps. The legendary Michael Jordan of basketball.
With a beautiful left-footed shot from the edge of the penalty box in the 28th minute, Jordan witnessed teenage sensation Lamine Yamal level for Barca.
Although it was his first goal in the Champions League of his career, it was his fourth goal of the season for the Spanish striker who won the European Championship. When Yamal scored against Inter Milan in December 2019, he was just 28 days older than teammate Ansu Fati, who also happened to be the second-youngest scorer in Champions League history, according to UEFA.
In July, Yamal’s incredible goal during Spain’s semifinal triumph over France made him the youngest player to ever score at a European Championship.
In the 71st, George Ilenikhena displayed similar poise to give Monaco the lead again. The forward, who is 18 years old, grabbed onto a pass.
His previous Champions League goal came against Barcelona in the previous season while he was a player for Antwerp. This was his first goal for Monaco. Ilenikhena expressed her happiness, saying, “We played well together and we deserved the victory.” “We can go far if we play like this.”
In the 88th minute, Fati entered the game as a replacement after healing from a foot injury. After returning from a loan to Brighton in the English Premier League, the 21-year-old attacker has not been on the field for Barcelona since 2023.