Monaco 3-0 Barcelona (12 Aug, 2024) Game Analysis - ESPN (UK)

Last updated: August 12, 2024 at 9:25 PM

Barcelona's getting ready for the new LaLiga season didn't go as planned, as they suffered a 3-0 loss at home to Monaco in the Joan Gamper Trophy at the Olympic Stadium on Monday.

Lamine Camara, Breel Embolo and Christian Mawissa scored in the second half as the Ligue 1 team became the first team to defeat Barça in their yearly opening match since Sampdoria in 2012.

The defeat concludes a varied preseason for Barça with their new coach Hansi Flick. They had victories against Manchester City and Real Madrid, but then suffered a loss to AC Milan in the United States.

The international tournaments and injuries during the summer have stopped Flick from putting out his best team yet. Players like Ronald Araújo, Pedri, Gavi, and Frenkie de Jong are still out with fitness problems.

Ferran Torres and Lamine Yamal made their preseason debut against Monaco, entering the game as substitutes in the second half. Unfortunately, Ilkay Gündogan had to leave the field due to an injury.

Barcelona starts the new LaLiga season on Saturday with a challenging journey to Valencia.

Monaco will start the new Ligue 1 season feeling good as they play at home against Saint-Étienne this weekend following a strong victory against the Catalan team.

Barcelona dominated the uneventful first half, with forward Pau Victor, who scored two goals against Madrid in the previous game, failing to capitalize on the best opportunity.

Raphinha scored a goal that was not counted because he was offside after halftime, and then Monaco scored two goals in a span of seven minutes to quiet the crowd of just over 40,000 people at Montjuic.

Camara scored the opening goal in the 50th minute when young midfielder Marc Bernal made a mistake for Barça. Embolo found the back of the net seven minutes later with a delicate finish inside the penalty area.

Yamal received a warm welcome from the local fans after his successful performance with Spain during the European Championships. He quickly created an opportunity for Victor, but unfortunately, Victor missed the target with his shot.

Barcelona then suffered a blow when Gundogan was forced out of the game due to a head injury, and Mawissa scored a late goal to secure a big win for their opponents in the Joan Gamper Trophy, marking the biggest defeat for Barcelona in the tournament's history.