Champions League Entrance: AS Monaco Soaks Club Brugge's Pitch in Qualification Celebration
AS Monaco Suffers 4-1 Defeat in Champions League Opener Against Club Bruges
AS Monaco endured a disappointing start to their Champions League campaign, falling 4-1 to Club Bruges at the Jan Breydel Stadium on September 18. The Monegasque team, who are under pressure ahead of their home game against Manchester City on October 1, struggled throughout the match and were outplayed in every aspect.
The game began on a disastrous note for AS Monaco, who found themselves 3-0 down at half-time. Nicolo Tresoldi opened the scoring for Club Bruges in the 32nd minute, capitalising on a set piece, before Hans Vanaken added a brace from set pieces to give the Belgian side a commanding lead. Raphael Onyedika and another goal from Tresoldi ensured that AS Monaco faced an uphill battle in the second half.
AS Monaco's woes were compounded by a missed penalty by Maghnes Akliouche in the 10th minute, an opportunity that could have potentially changed the course of the game. Akliouche also hit the Belgian goalkeeper Simon Mignolet's post during the game, but it was not enough to spark a significant comeback.
The Monegasque team's performance was further hindered by their late arrival at the Jan Breydel Stadium due to an incident at Nice airport. The absence of their Swiss captain Denis Zakaria was also felt, with AS Monaco struggling in terms of intensity and duels. Club Bruges intensified their pressure throughout the game, especially in duels and set pieces.
In injury time, Ansu Fati scored the only goal for AS Monaco, marking his first minutes of the season. However, it was too little, too late for the principality club, who suffered a demoralising defeat on European soil for the first time since November 6, 2018, against Club Bruges. The Monaco goalkeeper admitted that they did not perform enough during the match.
AS Monaco will be hoping to turn their fortunes around when they host Manchester City in their next Champions League match, but they will need to address their issues quickly if they are to stand any chance of securing a positive result against the English champions. The search results do not specify who exactly led or contributed most significantly to AS Monaco's 4-0 victory on November 6, 2018, but the team will be hoping for a repeat performance when they return to action.
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