Barcelona’s unbeaten start to the season came to an abrupt halt with a 2-1 defeat against Monaco in the revamped Champions League on Thursday. The match took a decisive turn early when defender Eric Garcia was shown a red card just 11 minutes into the game for pulling down Takumi Minamino.
Minamino had intercepted a hasty pass from Barcelona goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen, prompting the foul. Despite their early setback, Barcelona had won their first five matches in the Spanish league under new coach Hansi Flick but found themselves behind in the 16th minute when Maghnes Akliouche scored for Monaco. Akliouche, who has represented France at the Paris Olympics, found the back of the net from the right side of the penalty area, with national team coach Didier Deschamps watching from the stands.
The audience at Stade Louis II included basketball legend Michael Jordan, who witnessed Barcelona’s teenage sensation Lamine Yamal netting the equalizer in the 28th minute. Yamal’s left-footed shot from the edge of the penalty area marked his fourth goal of the season, making it his first in the Champions League. At 17 years and 68 days, he became the second-youngest scorer in Champions League history, just behind teammate Ansu Fati.
Yamal had previously made history in July as the youngest player to score at a Euro tournament. However, it was Monaco that took control again in the 71st minute, as George Ilenikhena scored the winning goal. The 18-year-old forward, who displayed great composure, seized a pass over the top and calmly slotted it past Ter Stegen, celebrating with Prince Albert of Monaco among the fans.
“I’m happy, we played really well together and we deserved the victory,” Ilenikhena expressed after the match. “If we play like this, we can go far.”
Fati made his return from a foot injury as a substitute in the 88th minute, having not played for Barcelona since 2023 following a loan spell at Brighton in the English Premier League.