Monaco 3-1 Manchester City (agg 6-6): Heartbreak for Pep Guardiola and Co as Tiemoue Bakayoko goal sees English side crash out of Champions League
- Leroy Sane, Sergio Aguero and Raheem Sterling all started in Pep Guardiola's Manchester City XI
- Despite the strong line-up, supremely talented youngster Kylian Mbappe opened the scoring for Monaco
- Fabinho added a second just before the half-hour mark to throw the two-legged tie in the home side's favour
- City picked up the pace in the second half and Sane was the man to net what looked like the decisive goal
- Tiemoue Bakayoko turned the game on its head again when he smashed a free header past Willy Caballero
- City went out on away goals as Guardiola exited the Champions League at the last 16 for the first time ever
It is very simple. Pep Guardiola addresses the issues with Manchester City's defence, or this project is destined to disappoint.
At one point, his team were through to the Champions League quarter-finals. They just had to hold out for 19 minutes. They didn't even make it through six.
Monaco are one of the finest attacking teams in Europe right now but, even so, to let in six goals over two games is a dereliction of duty for a club with ambitions of lifting this trophy.
Kylian Mbappe fires the ball past Manchester City goalkeeper Willy Caballero to give Monaco the perfect start on Wednesday
Mbappe lifts his arms high in celebration after giving Monaco a glimmer of hope after a defensively-poor first leg display
Monaco then went 2-0 up to flip the tie into their favour when Fabinho netted his 10th goal of the season so far
Leroy Sane looked to have taken City through with 20 minutes to play when he smashed a shot into the roof of the net
City's hearts were then broken just minutes later when Tiemoue Bakayoko fired a free header past goalkeeper Caballero
Bakayoko celebrates with his team after making it 6-6 on aggregate, a result which takes Monaco through on away goals
Pep Guardiola shouts in anger and stamps his feet on the bench after watching his side concede a third goal on the night
Monaco's delighted players celebrate at full-time whistle after booking their place in the Champions League quarter-finals
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Tottenham did not concede that many over two matches to Monaco, nor did Bayer Leverkusen or CSKA Moscow — or Guingamp, Nice and Nantes in the French league. And while it is the three away goals at the Etihad that have ultimately killed City, it was the one let in having seemingly secured progress with an underwhelming performance that shows their malaise.
Monaco looked dead on their feet for much of the second half. When they got a free-kick with 13 minutes left after a foul by Kevin De Bruyne it was as much as they could do to get men in the box. But that was all it needed. Thomas Lemar whipped in the ball and Tiemoue Bakayoko headed past a helpless Willy Caballero.
There were blue shirts all around, but none with sufficient interest in getting the ball the hell out of there. It travelled over the head of Aleksandar Kolarov, and his team-mates were as useful as innocent bystanders. City cannot go another season with this defence, or underplaying the importance of the unlovely side of the game.
Without wishing to pick at old wounds, this reminded of nothing more than an Arsenal display in Europe. The best teams make grit a thing of beauty, too.
Credit the tie winner because Bakayoko ensured his team will be in the next round, even if he will not be present for the first leg having totted up too many bookings.
Yet while praise is due to Monaco, the inquest at City should already have begun. Guardiola was engaged to take this club to the next level. This is a huge setback.
Here was Guardiola's 100th European match — he has the best record of any coach over that period — and it is a pity that such a milestone will be remembered for a crumbling defeat. City scored, which was his demand, but could not deliver beyond that base requirement, and their exit will without doubt tarnish his first season in English football.
Caballero had to come to the rescue early on for Manchester City when he parried Mbappe's shot away from goal
Just one minute later though, Mbappe had his goal; Caballero appeals for offside but nothing is given against the youngster
The 18-year-old French forward gees up the home crowd after getting Monaco off to the perfect start at the Stade Louis II
Bernardo Silva leaps into the air as Monaco's players react in delight after Mbappe's eighth-minute Champions League opener
Employing Guardiola does not guarantee success in Europe, but it is thought to come with certain comforts. He doesn't tend to get eliminated in the first knockout round by a team that would be considered outsiders. Monaco are leading the French league — but when did that state last produce the European champions?
This year, perhaps. It is a huge testament to Monaco that they went through. They were outstanding in the first half as they established a 2-0 lead, and while they looked exhausted for the second, they defended with far greater determination than City. Having leaked five in the first leg, perhaps Monaco were considered a soft touch. That performance looked more of an anomaly than this, however. As against Tottenham here, Monaco dug in.
When City finally came to life they laid siege to the Monaco goal. Sergio Aguero over from close range after 62 minutes; Danijel Subasic saving from Aguero after 65; Leroy Sane into the side netting from a tight angle on 67; Subasic kicking clear from Aguero, having turned Jemerson after 69.
Then, in the 71st minute, the breakthrough came. De Bruyne played an outstanding crossfield ball to Raheem Sterling, whose shot was tamely palmed out by Subasic. Unsurprisingly Sane was first to it — Monaco right back Djibril Sidibe had been running through treacle for a good half hour — and at that point, City were through.
Sergio Aguero looks disappointed with his side's defending as Mbappe wheels away in celebration inside 10 minutes
Mbappe thought he had doubled Monaco's lead in the Champions League round of 16 tie but the linesman's flag was up
Monaco's 23-year-old midfielder Fabinho did double the lead shortly after though, running to the corner flag in jubilation
Brazilian international Fabinho wheels away in celebration after giving his side a two-goal advantage on the night
Yet they are never less than vulnerable. Anyone who saw the first half would know City will struggle against a team with strong attacking instincts and their dander up. How to describe that opening 45 minutes? Remember Leicester's first-half against Sevilla on Tuesday? The opposite.
As energetic and impressive as Leicester were on Tuesday night, so Manchester City were ineffectual and overwhelmed, initially. After 45 minutes, Monaco had delivered six goal attempts to City's none — and two had gone in. It is no exaggeration to say Guardiola's side were outclassed in that spell. Given his pre-match comments, it was a shocking performance — although maybe Guardiola had talked his team out of it.
Sir Alex Ferguson used to say the match started in the press conference the day before. That was when he would use his stage to influence his players, the referee, the opposition. Sow seeds of doubt with his enemies, deliver messages, throw down challenges. Guardiola's take on this game was strange, indeed. He said City would need to score or they would go out. As they led on aggregate by two goals that was some admission. The manager of Manchester City was predicting his defence would concede two, at least.
Sergio Aguero looks dejected as he walks the ball back to the halfway line after Manchester City went 2-0 down in Monaco
Fabinho shuts his eyes and points to the sky after securing his 10th goal of the season to put Monaco in pole position
City's players trudge back to the centre circle after the second goal as Guardiola's offensive tactics backfired in Monaco
At half-time, Aguero's heat map did not make happy reading for City fans. Click HERE for more from Sportsmail's Match Zone
Now Monaco are a fine attacking team, as demonstrated, but it can't have been greatly inspiring to know the manager fancied them more than his own defence. And from the start, City played as if intimidated when they had no reason to be. They put five past this team the last time they met. Why was all the talk about Monaco's class?
Whether this had an effect or Monaco simply rattled City with their forward energy cannot be known. All we do know is what we saw. Monaco on the front foot from the start, City scrambling to contain them. Fernandinho, deployed deep, almost in a central back three, was particularly troubled.
He gave up the ball to Bakayoko for Monaco's first chance of the game, the midfielder sliding the ball through to Kylian Mbappe whose shot produced a fine save from Caballero. The pressure was relentless, though. From the corner, the ball was cleared but only to the excellent Benjamin Mendy whose shot was blocked and rebounded to Bernardo Silva. He whipped in a cross from the left and Mbappe turned it in, with excellent technique.
Monaco's stadium may be small but the home fans made a huge noise as they cheered their team on Wednesday night
Guardiola trudges across the pitch and down the tunnel at half-time after watching his City side concede twice in the first 45
Danijel Subasic holds his right leg in agony after picking up an injury, but he was able to continue shortly afterwards
Aleksandar Kolarov leaps to win a header as City struggled to impose themselves on the second leg tie in Monaco
Sirens were sounding in the City defence with each Monaco attack. Just before the half hour, Monaco claimed the second goal to forge a lead on away goals.
Lemar played in Mendy on the left once more and his low cross found Kolarov stretching in vain to close down Fabinho, whose low shot from the heart of the penalty area left Caballero no chance.
City were in disarray defensively. They didn't tackle, they didn't close, and Bakayoko and Fabinho were in charge of midfield. This changes from here, or nothing will.
Even without main man Radamel Falcao, who watched on from the sidelines, Monaco were able to take a 2-0 lead over City
Aguero enjoyed a number of chances to net the decisive goal for City; here, Monaco's Andrea Raggi blocks the ball away
Guardiola and his Manchester City coaching staff watch on from the away dugout at the Stade Louis II on Wednesday night
Aguero is crowded out by Fabinho and Djibril Sidibe (left) as he looks to carve a cross down the left-hand side
Sane smashed a shot into the roof of the net to put City in pole position again, but ultimately their night ended in tears
Sane leaps into the air as Monaco fans watch on - at that point, the English side were heading through to the last eight
Bakayoko had other ideas though, guiding his free header into the corner of the net to make it 6-6 on aggregate
Bakayoko celebrates after breaking City's hearts with just 13 minutes left on the clock at the Stade Louis II in Monaco
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-4317614/Monaco-3-1-Man-City-agg-6-6-Guardiola-s-crash-out.html#ixzz4bSquBxb6
