Urinating on the sidewalk ♪ Feeling regret towards his companion ♪
In the initial stages of Hansi Flick's tenure at FC Barcelona, things were going smoothly with five victories from their first five matches. However, the Champions League debut took a turn for the worse for the prestigious club. It was Germany's national goalkeeper, Marc-André ter Stegen, who took the blame for Barcelona's 1:2 (1:1) loss against AS Monaco. Ter Stegen acknowledged his mistake in the 10th minute, where his pass to central defender Eric Garcia was off the mark, leading to a red card for Garcia and a significant disadvantage for the team.
Ter Stegen's errant pass to Garcia was so poorly executed that Garcia could not handle the ball, resulting in a foul on Takumi Minamino. Referee Allard Lindhout had no choice but to display the red card. Ter Stegen felt remorse for the situation, stating, "We didn't communicate well in that moment. I'm sorry for Eric because he had to bear the brunt of it, and we had to play with one less player for nearly 80 minutes." This disadvantage proved to be too much for Barcelona to overcome.
AS Monaco quickly responded to Barcelona's early lead, scored by Maghnes Akliouche in the 16th minute, with their first Champions League goal by Lamine Yamal in the 28th minute. Matters worsened for Barcelona when George Ilenikhena netted Monaco's second goal in the 71st minute, leaving Barcelona struggling to salvage a victory.
The Spanish sports newspaper "Mundo Deportivo" criticized ter Stegen's pass as "suicidal". Despite the mistake, FC Barcelona's coach, Hansi Flick, remained optimistic, stating, "Accidents happen, we must accept it. But we are strong enough to bounce back in the Champions League. Definitely!"
Ter Stegen and his teammates needed to ensure they had the necessary passports for their upcoming Champions League away matches, given the travel restrictions due to the ongoing pandemic. Despite Ter Stegen's regret over his mistake, FC Barcelona's management emphasized the importance of focusing on the team's performance, not individual errors, for their upcoming matches.
