Diego Costa was on target despite not scoring in the league since February as Monaco slump to defeat against Atlético Madrid.
Monaco Slump to Defeat in Champions League Opener
La Liga triumphed over Ligue 1 in this fixture, as Atlético Madrid showed the same sort of class that saw them win the Europa League last season. The scoreline was fair on Monaco, who were mainly second best after going ahead.
Diego Simeone watched from the stands, serving his fourth and final game banned from the touchline given to him following their Europa League tie with Arsenal last season. The Argentine spoke pre-game about his respect for counterpart Leonardo Jardim’s job with rebuilding the Monégasque club but will have been impressed with the way his own side dispatched them on Tuesday night.
Jardim’s side took the lead through Champions League debutant Samuel Grandsir, who bundled in Monaco’s only clear-cut chance of the game. Diego Costa levelled the scoring with a tidy near-post finish following a deft Antoine Griezmann pass. The game was then won on the stroke of half-time as José Giménez powered a header past Diego Benaglio from a Koke corner.
Who’ll Be More Pleased?
Clearly, Atletico took the three points and will be delighted to be returning to Madrid with a win under their belts. That said, it’s not all doom and gloom for Monaco.
Focusing on the away side, to begin with, they showed signs of putting their poor start to the season behind them throughout. Diego Godín had a goal disallowed and Costa had a good chance saved well by Monaco’s veteran goalkeeper.
In the early stages, however, they showed an ineptitude to clear their lines and did not retain the ball well, which allowed Monaco to break through after just shy of 20 minutes had been played. Despite this, the Spanish club grew into the game and deservedly took the lead on half time, bossing possession for the remainder of the fixture.
As mentioned, Monaco should be far from despondent. They were second best and outclassed, but this was a relatively young term fielded, with Kévin N’Doram, goalscorer Grandsir and Youri Tielemans all in their early twenties, who will be desperate to improve.
The French side were without key players, including World Cup final goalkeeper Danijel Subasic and Russian breakthrough star Aleksandr Golovin, and on another day could have snatched a draw.
Star Performances
Griezmann’s pass for Costa’s equaliser was a thing of beauty and deserving of the quality finish that the frontman duly provided. In goal for Monaco, however, was 35-year-old Benaglio. The Swiss shot-stopper prevented the scoreline from being more worrying for the home side and will hope in the future that he can help Monaco out of the group stages.
What Next?
Both sides have endured dismal starts to the season, with just five points each. Monaco face Nîmes on Friday night, again at the Stade Louis II, and will be aiming to climb into the top half of the table. Their next Champions League fixture is away to Borussia Dortmund.
Atleti continue their league campaign against Getafe and will look to strengthen their position in the Champions League group stages against Club Brugge in October.
Group Standings
Atlético top the group as they put two past Monaco, and Dortmund could only muster a single goal away at Brugge. Should both Dortmund and Atlético Madrid win again in the next round, it could be a long road back already for Monaco and Brugge in terms of qualifying for the knockout stages.
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