Troublesome start: Ter Stegen's mistake leads FC Barcelona into a quandary in the opening stages of the season.
In the domestic league, Hansi Flick and FC Barcelona are doing exceptionally well, leading to high expectations for the Champions League. Unfortunately, their debut in Monaco didn't go as planned. Partially, this was due to an early blunder by national goalkeeper Marc-André ter Stegen, resulting in a risky pass.
Hansi Flick experienced his first loss in the Champions League with FC Barcelona, despite the opening goal from Spanish Euro champion Lamine Yamal. Barcelona lost 1:2 (1:1) to AS Monaco. Flick's team played with determination, but they made some unfortunate errors. They had opportunities, but Monaco deserved the win in the end.
The match began poorly for Flick and Barcelona: In the 10th minute, defender Eric Garcia was given a red card for a reckless tackle following a mistake from ter Stegen. Monaco scored the first goal through Maghnes Akliouche (16'), but Yamal equalized with a solo effort (28'). Ter Stegen was at fault again for the decisive goal by substitute George Ilenikhena (71').
Flick commented after the match, "Eric Garcia's red card entirely changed the game. We played with passion, but we committed some mistakes. We had chances, but Monaco deserved to win."
German international Kai Havertz was unable to help FC Arsenal secure a win against Europa League winners Atalanta Bergamo, as the game ended in a 0:0 draw. Mateo Retegui missed a penalty for the hosts (51'), and his subsequent header was saved by the keeper.
Benfica Lisbon started their Champions League campaign with a victory, beating Red Star Belgrade 2:1 (2:0). Jan-Niklas Beste made his debut in the second half.
Kerem Aktürkoglu scored the first goal for Benfica in the 9th minute, and Orkun Kökcü added a second before the break. Felicio Milson scored a consolation goal for Red Star in the 86th minute. Benfica's next opponents are Atlético Madrid on October 2nd, followed by German champions Bayern Munich on November 6th.
French debutants Stade Brest claimed a 2:1 (1:0) victory against Austrian side Sturm Graz.
Despite FC Barcelona's strong performance in the domestic league under Hansi Flick, their Champions League journey suffered a setback as they lost 1:2 to AS Monaco, with an early red card for defender Eric Garcia and several mistakes from Marc-André ter Stegen contributing to the defeat.
Regarding the Europa League, German international Kai Havertz could not lead FC Arsenal to victory against Atalanta Bergamo, resulting in a 0:0 draw.
