Severely reduced to ten men at the hour mark, Monaco gave in at the end of the match with two offerings from Di Maria (2-3). Annoyed, the Monegasques lost the thread of the match and let precious points slip away with a view to qualifying for the round of 16. Behind the scenes of a European evening as frustrating as it was memorable.
Despite his first professional goal one evening in the Champions League, Soungoutou Magassa had a closed face when leaving the Louis-II stadium. The ASM-trained midfielder, like his teammate, had to contain their anger at the final whistle. Adi Hütter did not succeed. The Austrian technician received a yellow card before returning to the locker room for complaining to the refereeing body. He particularly regrets the expulsion of his defender Wilfried Singo but also the four cards taken out in one minute by Mr. Rade Obrenovic: “It went too quickly for me. Football brings a lot of emotions. He gives four yellow cards (three for Monaco, one for Kerem Aktürkoglu) at the same time, it’s too much. I think we have to stay calm and communicate. He exaggerated a little.
The Russian-Ukrainian conflict on the ground
An evening that ended in a storm… after starting with a wind. That of Anatoliy Trubin. Benfica’s Ukrainian goalkeeper refused to shake the hand of Aleksandr Golovin, Russian midfielder from AS Monaco. This is due to Russia’s invasion of his country in 2022. “The Ukrainian heart beats to the rhythm of victory”, wrote the 23-year-old goalkeeper in a message on social networks after his success (2-3) .
For their part, the Monegasques remained discreet on the networks. Probably out of fear of slipping up and letting their words slip. “We lacked a little lucidity in the last meters, but when you run with 10 against 12, it’s a little more difficult,” quipped Breel Embolo in the mixed zone about the refereeing.
Double dose of caviar for Di Maria in Monaco
While the Portuguese journalists are chambering their French counterparts in the aisles of the Louis-II stadium, the players leave the scene with the feeling of having let something slip. Even outnumbered, ASM seemed to contain Benfica. At 2-1 in the 84th minute, Monaco was heading towards a precious success with a view to direct qualification into the round of 16…
But Angel Di Maria decided otherwise. At 36, the Argentinian delivered two crosses to the heads of his teammates Cabral and Amdouni to turn the match around. A double dose of caviar which allows the former Parisian to overtake Lionel Messi and come back one step behind Cristiano Ronaldo (42) in the ranking of the best passers in the history of the LDC. “We had him well in hand, and then he showed what a fantastic player he is,” summed up Adi Hütter.
Monaco stays on track
This scenario, only the most beautiful European competitions can offer us. It’s up to the Monegasques to ensure that their adventure extends beyond the League phase. Transform this frustration into excess energy. With 10 points after five days, Monaco is eighth and virtually qualified for the round of 16. However, the trip to Arsenal, the reception of Aston Villa and the trip to Giuseppe Meazza to challenge Inter Milan promise great adversity for the Principality club. But as the Lisbonites showed, nothing is ever decided in advance.
“We have a very good team with great qualities. If we continue with this state of mind, I don’t see why we wouldn’t go far,” concludes Soungoutou Magassa with a note of hope.
