When AS Monaco shocked the Gunners
The sweet scent of a big European match. AS Monaco, who had been brilliant in the group stage, traveled to London to face the team of their former legendary coach, Arsène Wenger, in the round of 16. Supported by the presence of more than 2,000 Red and White fans, AS Monaco played a great first half and shook up the Londoners. Geoffrey Kondogbia opened the scoring with a powerful strike from 35 meters to beat David Ospina, who was unlucky following a deflection off Per Mertesacker. It was a real cannon of a shot!
The young players of AS Monaco started the second half as they had finished the first. On yet another ball recovered by Fabinho, Martial latched onto a long ball and broke down the defense of the Londoners to play in Dimitar Berbatov for a one-one-one. The Bulgarian has all the time in the world to shoot past David Ospina, and AS Monaco lead 2-0. Heroic in defense, the Red and White resisted the multiple attacks of Arsenal during the second half. In added time, Oxlade-Chamberlain beat Subasic with a marvel of a strike following a misplayed ball in defense. Both having come on in the second half, Yannick Ferreira-Carrasco and Bernardo Silva allowed their side some relief following Arsenal’s goal. Picked out well by the Portuguese international, the Monaco number 17 sealed the result with a fine shot across goal that went in off the far post. AS Monaco were on a cloud.
Lendemain de victoire ! Ce n’était donc pas un rêve… #ARSASM #UCL pic.twitter.com/8UBa3pN0Kx
— AS Monaco 🇲🇨 (@AS_Monaco) February 26, 2015
A first in the Champions League
AS Monaco had never achieved such a feat. For the first time in their history, the Principality’s players had won a Champions League match on English soil. In the past in the UEFA Cup (the precursor to the Europa League), AS Monaco had recorded two victories on the pitches of legendary stadiums at Elland Road (Leeds, 1995-1996, 0/1) and St James’ Park (Newcastle, 1996-1997, 0/1). Despite defeat in the return leg (0/2), this success on the pitch of the Emirates Stadium enabled the club to reach the quarterfinals of the most prestigious of European competitions for the first time since the great run of 2004. A first page in the history of AS Monaco in the Champions League in the Jardim era had been written.
February 25, 2017 – Emirates Stadium, London
Champions League – Round of 16 first leg
Arsenal 1-3 AS Monaco
Referee : M. Aytekin
Attendance: 59 868
Goals: Oxlade-Chamberlain (91) for Arsenal FC – Kondogbia (38), Berbatov (53) Ferreira-Carrasco (94) for AS Monaco
Arsenal FC : Ospina, Gibbs, Koscielny, Mertesacker (cap), Bellerin, Cazorla (Rosicky 81), Coquelin (Oxlade-Chamberlain 68), Özil, Welbeck, Sanchez, Giroud (Walcott 60) – Manager: Arsène Wenger
AS Monaco : Subasic, Echiéjilé, Wallace, Abdennour, Touré, Fabinho, Kondogbia, Dirar (cap) (Kurzawa 81), Moutinho, Martial (B.Silva 84), Berbatov (Ferreira-Carrasco 75, (cap 81) – Manager : Leonardo Jardim
