Moatasem Al-Musrati was controversially sent off as AS Monaco once again slumped to defeat at home to Benfica (0-1), just as they did back in November, at the Stade Louis II on Wednesday night.

There was a sense of déjà-vu at the Stade Louis II as, less than three months after their last visit, Benfica returned to the Principality and, once again, the encounter was dominated by a controversial refereeing call.

A cautious encounter bursts into life

The game had started in a relatively tepid manner with both sides (overly) cautious not to concede the first goal in this two-legged Champions League play-off. That caution meant that chances were at a premium throughout, especially in the first half.

Maghnes Akliouche went close for Les Monégasques in the ninth minute and we had to wait until the 43rd minute until the next clear-cut opportunity. This one fell to Benfica with Alvaro Carreras forcing Radoslaw Majecki into a save low to his right.

But the game quickly sparked into life early in the second half. Vangelis Pavlidis beat the offside trap and got goal side of his marker Mohammed Salisu before chipping Radoslaw Majecki from a tight angle.

Just four minutes later and Monaco found themselves a goal down and a man down. It was the contentious moment of the match as Al-Musrati, in his first start for the Principality club since joining from Besiktas, was shown a yellow for imitating the awarding of a yellow card.

“The sending-off decided the result” – Hütter

In the rules of the game, it is a sanctionable offence and so Al-Musrati was sanctioned, receiving a second yellow and a red card. “Yes, this is the rule, but he was not aggressive,”  argued Adi Hütter post-match. Monaco will also point to the irregularity or infrequency of the application of this rule. “The sending-off decided the result,” bemoaned the Monaco manager, with CEO Thiago Scuro also passing through the mixed zone post-match to bemoan another controversial refereeing performance.

With a return leg in Lisbon next week, attention turned to damage limitation Pavlidis almost doubled his account on the night but Majecki was equal to his close-range effort.

And whilst Benfica huffed, they struggled to work clear goal-scoring opportunities. Not only did they fail to add to their advantage, but they also lost key player Ángel Di María to injury late on; he is unlikely to play any part in the return leg.

But Monaco weren’t unscathed late on either. Both Denis Zakaria and Vanderson got late yellows and will play no part in Lisbon next Tuesday due to suspension. The worst was avoided as the game finished 1-0 to Benfica and (some) hope remains.

Monaco head to Portugal as underdogs

“We are disappointed but we will see what we can do in the return leg […] the challenge is more difficult but you have to trust and believe that anything can happen,” reacted Hütter.

The Monaco manager approached this two-legged tie against Benfica insisting that, by virtue of having already lost to the Portuguese side in the Champions League this season, his side were the “underdogs”. If that title didn’t suit Monaco before Wednesday evening, then it certainly does now as Hütter’s side look to keep their European adventure alive in Portugal next week.

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Photo source: AS Monaco