Despite a very strong domination in the second half, Monaco, too timid at the start of the match, lost at home to Shakhtar Donetsk (1-0), Tuesday, August 17 in the evening in the first leg of the Champions League.
The Monegasques now know what to do to compete in the Champions League. They will have to go and win in Kharkiv on August 25. By a goal gap to play extra time, or even a penalty shootout. By two goals difference at least, to pass directly. The young Monegasques will have to achieve in Ukraine what they failed to do at the Stade Louis-II: to score.
However, in front of their president Dmitri Rybolovlev, they had some opportunities to do so, especially in the second half, by Dutch rookie Myron Boadu, whose strike was deflected on his post by the very good and very young Ukrainian goalkeeper Anatolii Trubin, 20 years.
Lack of precision on the Monegasque side
But Monaco was then already behind in the score, the fault of a poorly controlled start to the match. Like Sidibé (3e) or Volland (5e), the Monegasques had the will, very quickly, to play forward to seek the striker closest to the opposing goals. But each time, the Brazilian rearguard managed.
Moreover, the men of Roberto De Zerbi, the former coach of Sassuolo, gradually got their hands on the match. The first strike came from captain Matviyenko following a one-two with Burkinabe center forward Lassina Traoré, 20 years old and defector from Ajax Amsterdam (7e).
Radoslaw Majecki, who had to replace Alexander Nübel at the last moment, intervened well. He did it again on the attempt of the Israeli Manor Solomon after a series of dribbles (18e). On the other hand, the Pole was not able to oppose Pedrinho, 23, defector, him, from Benfica Lisbon. In the Monegasque area, the Brazilian Shakhtar played on Benoît Badiashile to score his second goal of the season with his right foot (0-1, 19e).
The Monegasques were not precise enough to equalize. In turn, Badiashile of the head (23e), Kevin Volland, also from the head (26e), Youssouf Fofana (28e) and Wissam Ben Yedder, following a center back from Djibril Sidibé (34e), did not fit.
Despite a voluntary end of the period, Kovac’s men lacked technical mastery to come back. And Monaco has not reversed the situation. It will now take a feat in Kharkiv to pass.