Playing a man down, AS Monaco fall to Benfica | OneFootball

Quickly reduced to ten men at the start of the second half, the Rouge et Blanc would lose to the Lisbon club at the end of a frustrating first leg (0-1).

Reduced to ten men at the start of the second half, AS Monaco players were unable to avoid defeat against Benfica in the first leg of the Champions League play-off (0-1) in a match that took place under the eyes of President Dmitry Rybolovlev, who was present at the Stade Louis-II. ✍️

The context 📅

The Rouge et Blanc would attack this first leg with a slight spirit of revenge, after having lost here in the Principality against the Lisbon side in the league phase (2-3). To take a step ahead before the return leg at the Estádio da Luz, it would therefore be necessary to show more control in the final moments, notably against Angel Di Maria, who had two assists in November.

We will have to be careful with Benfica because they are a fantastic team and a historic club. We will have to be particularly wary of crosses where they had shown their qualities in the last ten minutes with Vangelis Pavlidis or substitutes Zeki Amdouni and Arthur Cabral.

The XI  👥

To attack this match, coach Adi Hütter decides to once again trust the 4-4-2 system he had used in Paris.. Mohammed Salisu started in defense, while Krépin Diatta started at left back. And finally, new recruit  Moatasem Al-Musrati made his first start in midfield.

The scenario 🎞

This Champions League play-off first leg started strongly, with a powerful first strike from 20 meters by Alvaro Carreras which grazed the post (5′). The response was immediate and it came from Maghnes Akliouche, who connected perfectly with Breel and then Golo’ in a three-man exchange, before unleashing a powerful shot which was deflected by the Lisbon goalkeeper (9′) — it was a magnificent action which was not rewarded.

A tough blow right from the restart

The match was balanced in this first half hour, but opportunities were ultimately rare. It was thus necessary to wait until the 42nd minute to see Aleksandr Golovin unleash a powerful shot but, without success.

This was before Carreras, again, stung the gloves of Radeck Majecki (44′)  and a deflected volley by Aktürkoglu flashed wide (45 + 2′). Unfortunately on returning from the locker room, Vangelis Pavlidis, opportunistic, nipped in to steal the ball and give his side the lead (0-1, 48′).

A severe red and decisive saves

The match then took a completely different turn, when Mr. Mariani gave a second very severe yellow card to Moatasem Al-Musrati (52′). Once again with a man advantage, Benfica showed their enterprise through Aktürkoglu, whose quickfie shot was slammed behind by Majecki (58′), and then Pavlidis, who also was denied by the Polish goalkeeper (61′). The Rouge et Blanc then struggled to create situations except on the counter.

Keep hope for the return leg!

For their part, Benfica pushed on and Orkun Kökçü tried his luck, but the last Monegasque defender was vigilant (75′). Denis Zakaria then tried to sound the revolt, but his shot was blocked by Trubin (82nd). The end of the match was hard, and Fredrik Aursnes again called Majecki into action (86′). It was then game over, the Monegasques had lost at the Stade Louis-II (0-1) and will have to turn things around Tuesday in Lisbon (21:00).

Key moments 🎥

5′: A powerful low shot from 20 meters from Carreras that grazes the post 9′: Akliouche exchanges with Golovin before unleashing a powerful shot that’s kept out by Trubin 14′: An attempt is off target by Aursnes, who is challenged by Golovin 42′: Golovin goes on a solo run and fires a powerful shot which is caught by Trubin 44′: A bit of skill from Carreras who shoots with his right foot bu it’s saved by Majecki 45+2′: A volley by Aktürkoglu is deflected by António Silva just wide 48′: The opportunistic Pavlidis pokes the ball past Majecki (0-1) 58′: A quick strike from Aktürkoglu is punched clear by Majecki 61′: A cross by Schjelderup for Pavlidis sees the striker denied by Majecki 75′: An attempt by Kökçü is caught by Majecki who gets down well 82′: A curling shot from Zakaria is stopped by Trubin 86′: Ausernes’ powerful shot is deflected for a corner by Diatta

🗓️ Match details:

Wednesday February 12 (21:00) – Stade Louis-II

🇪🇺 Champions League – Playoffs first leg: AS Monaco 0-1 Benfica

Halftime: 0-0

Goals: Pavlidis (48′) for Benfica

Bookings: Al-Musrati (41′ and 52′), Vanderson (79′) and Zakaria (90′) for AS Monaco; Carreras (16′), Florentino Luis (55′) for Benfica

Dismissals: Al-Musrati (52′)

Manager: Adi Hütter