JAKARTA - Barcelona's winning record was tarnished when they competed in the Champions League. Coach Hansi Flick said the expulsion of defender Eric Garcia made the match change completely and Barca had to admit Monaco's lead 2-1
Barca already had to lose Garcia who got a red card when the game had only been running for 10 minutes. Garcia was forced to foul Monaco midfielder Takumi Minamino who managed to cut the ball from goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
This German national team goalkeeper blunder forced Garcia to bring down Minamino outside the penalty box. Garcia immediately received a red card in a duel at Stade Louis II, Friday, September 20, 2024 in the morning WIB. The match had only been running for 10 minutes, Barca had to play with 10 players.
Monaco managed to take advantage of the advantage of the number of players after Maghnes AkliOKe scored. Barca had equalized through Lamine Yamal. But the 18-year-old striker George Ilenikhena later became the determinant of Monaco's victory.
The defeat against Monaco menodes Barca's winning record this season. Yes, the Blaugrana started the La Liga competition with perfect points because they always won the match so they perched at the top of the standings.
However, when they played their first match in the Champions League, Barca lost. However, Flick was not worried about the defeat.
According to him, after Garcia was shown a red card, the match changed. The reason is, Barca had to strengthen the defense sector to keep up with Monaco's bumpy attacks. Flick did not blame Garcia for being forced to block the Japanese national team midfielder.
"After the red card (Garcia), the game completely changed. But I saw the positive side. We tried to defend as a team and also attacked as a team. We did have a number of chances, but they have to admit they deserved to win," said Flick.
"You can see after that red card, our game design changed immediately. We have to be able to accept it because that's what happened," said the former Bayern Munich coach.
Flick asked the players to forget the first defeat and focus on the La Liga competition. Sunday, September 22, 2024 evening WIB. Moreover, they returned to play away matches against Villareal.
"I told the players that their heads must remain upright. Even though they are disappointed, we already have to focus on the next game on Sunday. This is the time for us to recover. I hope the players' energy has recovered when they return to play," he said.
Flick said the team had shown their best performance. Yamal also set a record as the second youngest player to score in Champions League history.
Interestingly, the record for the youngest goalscorer still belongs to Ansu Fati, Yamal's Barca colleague. In that match, Fati, who was sitting on the bench, watched his partner score.
"Players have given 100 percent of their abilities. All players have done their best. I am proud of this team. But we have to accept this defeat," said Flick, who previously handled the German national team.
Barca is optimistic that the winning trend can be maintained in domestic competitions. If they win, they will be stronger at the top of the standings. It's just that Villarreal, who is ranked fourth, is clearly not an easy opponent for Los Cules.
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