AS Monaco suffered their heaviest defeat in European football at the hands of Real Madrid on a sombre night for the Principality club (6-1) at the Bernabéu.
It was Mbappé who was one of the protagonists of Monaco’s title win in 2017; it was a Golden Age for the Principality club, one that feels now more than ever as though it belongs to the past. And so it was only fitting that it was Mbappé, against his former club, who got Real Madrid up and running in what would turn into a demolition job.
The France captain found space in the box and finished past Philipp Kohn before then doubling his account on the night in just the 26th minute, latching onto a ball across the face of goal from Vinícius Jr. and beating Kohn at the far post. Les Monégasques held their own for much of the first half, creating chances of their own, but lacking the killer touch that their opponents did not.
Monaco concede four in second-half mauling
Jordan Teze struck the woodwork with an effort reminiscent of his stunning goal against Manchester City earlier in the Champions League campaign, whilst Folarin Balogun and Maghnes Akliouche worked saves from Thibault Courtois. But any hope of an exploit in the second half was quickly extinguished, and brutally. Monaco famously came back to beat Real Madrid back in 2004 on their way to the UCL final, but this team is not capable of such a turnaround.
Instead, the Principality sank, sank, sank… and sank one more time for good measure. It was Franco Mastantuono who got the first of Real Madrid’s four second-half goals and just four minutes later, they had their fourth of the night. This one came courtesy of Thilo Kehrer, who stabbed into his own net.
Vinícius Jr. had a hand in three of Los Blancos’ first four goals and he got the fifth of the night, capitalising on a slack pass from Kehrer, running at the febrile Monaco defence, working space, and finishing spectacularly. The Bernabéu erupted, celebrating a goal from the man that they had booed earlier in the encounter.
Pocognoli doesn’t regret Monaco’s approach
It was England international Jude Bellingham who got Real Madrid’s sixth, not before Jordan Teze had netted a consolation for the visitors, giving something for the 2500 travelling fans to celebrate. Not that they were in the mood to celebrate. They were in good voice en route to the stadium, but as has become customary in recent weeks, the game was marked by protests, silence at stages, and calls for CEO Thiago Scuro to resign at others.
At full-time, the fans turned their backs on their players – literally but by extension symbolically – after the humiliation, their heaviest ever defeat in a European game. “I don’t regret the approach,” said Sébastien Pocognoli post-match, who added that he would stay loyal to his “convictions and ideas”.
But there is no denying that Pocognoli is now under pressure. The Belgian isn’t shying away from that either. “At some point, the results will come. I hope they will come with me [in charge],” he added. If they are, Pocognoli must quickly reverse the trend, beginning in Le Havre on Saturday.
Stay updated with Monaco Life: sign up for our free newsletter, catch our podcast on Spotify, and follow us across Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Tik Tok.
Photo source: AS Monaco