AS Monaco suffered a second successive defeat in the UEFA Youth League, this time at the hands of Manchester City’s academy side, on Wednesday (3-5).
A combination of the ongoing U-20 FIFA World Cup, currently taking place in Chile, and the ongoing injury crisis, which as notably seen Pape Cabral promoted to the first-team, meant that it was a particularly young side that took to the pitch on a sodden afternoon in La Turbie.
Manchester City, regardless of those notable absences, were favourites for this encounter, especially given that, unlike Monaco, a handful of their players have earned first-team minutes. The club won their Youth League opener and are renowned, like Monaco, for their production line of elite talent, having brought players through such as Phil Foden, as well as now-Chelsea players Cole Palmer, Romeo Lavia, Jamie Gittens, and Liam Delap, in recent years.
Monaco punished for passive first thirty minutes
In front of the onlooking Dmitry Rybolovlev, Thiago Scuro, and Carlos Avina, Les Monégasques struggled for large periods of the first half, failing to get out of their half and then eventually succumbing to the pressure. Djimi Traoré’s side went into half-time 3-1 down, but it could have been very different. The first major chance fell to Monaco and to Nacim Dendami, who could not reward Nahel Haddani’s run and ball across the box, lobbing over with the goal gaping.
The Principality club were quickly punished. Mahamadou Sangaré, who joined Manchester City from Paris Saint-Germain over the summer, leapt highest to head home his first of the day; it would not be his last. Six minutes later, Monaco were two down. This time is was Melvin Gomes who put a dangerous cross into his own net.
Demoralised, they then conceded their third. It was Sangaré again who won the penalty and then converted it. “We can’t keep retreating, we needed to apply pressure, and that is what we lacked. Maybe we should have done that sooner,” admitted Traoré post-match, speaking to Monaco Life.
Les Monégasques did get one back before half-time, with Haddani getting the goal his performance deserved, sticking the ball home a second time after his initial effort hit both posts.
Traoré evokes a “difference in level” between Monaco and Manchester City
Aided by a change of formation just before City’s third, Monaco were more competitive in the second half, creating more chances, playing out of their own half, and limiting the visitors’ control. However, it didn’t prevent City from extending their advantage on the 50-minute mark through Ryan McAidoo. Once again, Sangaré had a hand in the goal, putting the ball through for the winger to extend the lead back to three goals.
McAidoo almost had a second seconds later, but Jules Stawiecki pulled off an excellent save to control the damage. Haddani then reduced the deficit to two once again to keep slim hopes of a comeback alive, but those were shattered when Sangaré completed his hat-trick and netted Manchester City’s fifth on the day.
Substitute Ekene Chukwuani netted a late third for Les Monégasques, but the loss means that, following a 1-0 loss to Club Brugge last time out, they are still winless in this year’s Youth League. “We knew that we were coming up against a good team. We tried to do what we could, but it is true that there is a difference in level,” said Traoré. Next up, Tottenham, against whom they will look to get their first points on the board.
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Photo credit: Luke Entwistle / Monaco Life
