Monaco fear no one after eliminating Manchester City

PARIS (Reuters) - When Michael Owen tweeted that Monaco were a "good draw" for Manchester City, the remark raised a few eyebrows in France, and one of the most exciting Ligue 1 teams in years will fear no one when the Champions League quarter-finals draw is made on Friday.

Monaco fear no one after eliminating Manchester City

(Reuters)





Relying on a bunch of hyper-talented youngsters, Monaco prevailed 3-1 on Wednesday to eliminate City on away goals after the tie ended 6-6 on aggregate, pressing and attacking like there was no tomorrow in a breathtaking first half.

Just as in the first leg, which they lost 5-3 after leading 3-2, they seemed to run out of steam in the second, but Tiemoue Bakayoko, one of five players aged 23 or under to start the game, headed the decisive goal with 13 minutes left.

It was the first time a team coached by Pep Guardiola had been knocked out as early as the Champions League last 16.

Asked whether Monaco should fear a team in the quarter-finals or whether it was them who should be feared, coach Leonardo Jardim said: "The second option.

"A lot of people thought we could not go through (after the first leg) but we are a great team. We had already scored three in Manchester.

"We dominated a club who is second in the Premier League. It is time to say that our league is competitive."

Once again, Monaco, who groomed World Cup winners Lilian Thuram, Emmanuel Petit, Thierry Henry and David Trezeguet, owed their success to home-grown players, with 18-year-old Kylian Mbappe standing out in the absence of the injured Radamel Falcao.

The forward's pace was too much to handle for City and Mbappe put Monaco in the driving seat with a goal after eight minutes, proving a nightmare for the visitors' defence.

In 17 starts this season, Mbappe has now scored 16 goals, earning him his first call-up to the France squad, along with team mate Benjamin Mendy, for a World Cup qualifier in Luxembourg and a friendly at home against Spain later this month.

"Mbappe is the DNA of our club. I am so proud that he is growing so fast," said club vice-president Vadim Vasiliyev.

"What he does at his age is just huge," said former France and Monaco winger Ludovic Giuly.





(Reporting by Julien Pretot; Editing by Gareth Jones, Neville Dalton)


Share

2 min read

Published

Source: Reuters



Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world