UCL: Early Red, ter Stegen Blunder Help Monaco Down Barcelona

Barcelona’s quest to end their near-decade-long Champions League drought in the 2024/25 season began on a disappointing note, as they suffered a 2-1 defeat to Monaco. The match took a negative turn early on when defender Eric Garcia was shown a red card after a misjudged pass from captain Marc-André ter Stegen put him in a last-man situation.

Monaco capitalized on the man advantage shortly after, with Maghnes Akliouche opening the scoring. The French side continued to dominate, frequently testing Barcelona’s defense and goalkeeper.

Despite being on the back foot, it was Lamine Yamal who reignited Barcelona's hopes with a stunning long-range strike that brought the Catalan club level. However, Barcelona’s struggles persisted in the second half, as they failed to create significant chances against Monaco goalkeeper Philipp Köhn.

Monaco regained the lead with 20 minutes left in the match, as George Ilenikhena scored on a counter-attack, sealing the win for the French side.

Adolf Hütter’s tactical decision to field right-back Vanderson on the left to contain Yamal proved effective for much of the game, as the 23-year-old defender put in an impressive shift against both Yamal and Jules Koundé. However, Vanderson could do little to prevent Yamal’s brilliant first-half equalizer.

On the other hand, Marc-André ter Stegen’s performance came under scrutiny once again on a European night. His misplaced pass led to Garcia’s red card, and he was at fault for both of Monaco’s goals – allowing Akliouche's shot to beat him at the near post and failing to deal with Ilenikhena’s winning strike after diving early.

Barcelona will now look to bounce back quickly as they face Villarreal at the Estadio de la Cerámica on Sunday, September 22.

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