Barcelona vs Monaco player ratings – Eric Garcia’s red card gives Monaco UCL victory

Barcelona suffered their first competitive defeat under Hansi Flick in the opening match of the Champions League.

Barcelona got off to a blazing start in the 2024–25 La Liga season. The Catalans picked up five wins in five matches, scoring 17 goals and conceding just four. Flick was under pressure to translate Barcelona's early success into the Champions League, a competition the club has struggled to achieve success in in recent years. Barcelona's first European test came away against Monaco.

The Spanish side dominated possession from kick-off, using quick passes to break through and test Monaco's disciplined defence. However, Barcelona were caught off guard when Marc-André ter Stegen played a poor pass backwards to Eric García. Takumi Minamino stole the ball from the midfielder on the edge of the box, and García attempted a clumsy last-minute tackle that earned him a red card.

With only ten men left, the visitors conceded just six minutes later. Barcelona practically watched as Maghnes Akliouche dribbled into the box, switched to his left foot and fired a shot past the standing ter Stegen. However, it was none other than Lamine Yamal who brought Barcelona back into the game with an equaliser in the 28th minute.

The second half was drama-free for either side until the 72nd minute. Barcelona were caught off guard by a ball over the top and played George Ilenikhena a free shot on goal while Iñigo Martínez was lagging behind. The substitute put his team 2-1 ahead and ultimately decided the match for the hosts.

Monaco thought it had a chance to extend its lead from the penalty spot, but a VAR review showed that Martínez had not committed a foul on Folarin Balogun in the box.

Barcelona failed to equalise in the last minute and returned to Spain with zero points.

Starters

TW: Marc-André ter Stegen – 5/10 – The goalkeeper's poor pass from his own penalty area led to García's red card, forcing his team to play with ten men for 80 minutes. He was beaten at the near post for Monaco's first goal and had to make several shaky saves in the second half.

RB: Jules Koundé – 6/10 – Koundé kept Ben Seghir at bay and limited the 19-year-old's chances in the final third. The right-back was one of Barcelona's leading counter-attackers.

Centre-back: Pau Cubarsí – 6/10 – The 17-year-old did his utmost to keep Barcelona in the game, making several key defensive moves to prevent Monaco from scoring the inevitable winning goal.

Centre-back: Iñigo Martínez – 5/10 – Martínez was caught off guard in the 72nd minute, allowing George Ilenikhena to run in and win the game for Monaco. He was also lucky to only receive a yellow card just three minutes later for pushing Wilfried Singo.

LB: Alejandro Balde – 5/10 – Balde did a good job of partnering Raphinha in the second half, but he will be remembered for his failure to stop Akliouche for Monaco's first goal.

DM: Eric Garcia – N/A – The midfielder was sent off within ten minutes after denying Takumi Minamino a clear goal-scoring opportunity.

DM: Marc Casadó – 7/10 – Casadó delivered a disciplined and intelligent performance against Monaco. The midfielder committed several tactical fouls to disrupt the hosts' attacking efforts and valiantly helped his back line survive with ten men.

RW: Lamine Jamal – 7/10 – After a few uncharacteristic mistouches at the start of the match, the teenager improved over time and scored his first Champions League goal, putting his team on the scoresheet.

AM: Pedri – 5/10 – Pedri lost most of the tackles in the game and was outdone by Akliouche for Monaco's first goal.

LW: Raphinha – 6/10 – The Brazilian was able to show off his counterattacks several times, but never found the quality needed in the final third to score a goal for Barcelona or equalize.

ST: Robert Lewandowski – 5/10 – The striker was unable to do much in attack as his team was down to ten men, but he led the pressure against Monaco.

Substitute

Ferran Torres – 5/10 – The attacker only managed two touches of the ball in his short time on the pitch.

Gerard Martin – 5/10 – Martín had little opportunity to influence the game after Barcelona were already 2-1 down.

Sergi Domínguez – 5/10 – The defender came to strengthen Barcelona's defense.

Pablo Torre – N/A

Ansu Fati – N/A

manager

Hansi Flick – 6/10 – It would be unfair to judge Flick too harshly after his team fought bravely for over 85 minutes with ten men. However, the coach decided to bring on García in place of the injured Olmo and the midfielder's red card effectively handed Monaco the win tonight. Had Flick chosen Torres instead, the result tonight might have been different.