UEFA Champions League — Tuesday, 20 January
The UEFA Champions League returned to the Santiago Bernabéu tonight as Real Madrid hosted AS Monaco.
Monaco had only faced Real Madrid twice before this match, during the 2003/04 Champions League quarter-finals, when the French side famously eliminated Madrid on away goals.
Real Madrid came into the match sitting seventh in the standings with four wins. Xabi Alonso’s side needed a victory to continue fighting for a place in the top eight. Securing three points against Monaco would strengthen their position and also give supporters more confidence in their Champions League campaign.
Meanwhile, Monaco arrived in nineteenth place with two wins. The French side hoped to move away from the knockout spots and secure an important away victory at the Bernabéu. The match also marked Kylian Mbappé facing one of his former clubs.
Although he is still only 23 years old, Ansu Fati has been playing against Real Madrid for years. The former Barcelona player is already very familiar to Madrid supporters.
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Line-ups
Real Madrid — 4-3-3
Monaco — 4-2-3-1
After the tense and frustrating match against Levante, Real Madrid fans appeared calmer and more optimistic before kick-off.
The stadium atmosphere felt special, with the classic Champions League energy returning to the Bernabéu. Before the match, there was also a moment of silence for the victims of the Córdoba incident.
Monaco’s away supporters were loud throughout the opening minutes, and their energy helped the visitors begin the match confidently. For short periods, Monaco managed to dominate possession against Real Madrid.
Madrid focused on controlling the ball and building attacks patiently through quick passing combinations.
That approach paid off early, as Real Madrid scored the opening goal through Mbappé. The Bernabéu immediately demanded more from the team, and shortly after the goal, Vinícius Júnior almost doubled the lead.
Even though Monaco pushed forward in search of an equaliser, Real Madrid continued attacking aggressively, looking determined to score again rather than protect the lead.
Franco Mastantuono was one of the standout performers of the match thanks to his creativity and movement in attack.
There were also strong defensive performances from Aurélien Tchouaméni and Federico Valverde, who constantly stopped Monaco’s transitions.
Monaco’s players played aggressively and committed more fouls than Real Madrid throughout the first half.
Real Madrid’s solid defending eventually led to a dangerous counterattack, ending with Mbappé scoring his second goal of the night.
After around 30 minutes, Monaco nearly scored their first goal, but Madrid survived the chance.
Monaco also received the first yellow card of the match.
Madrid created another dangerous attack involving Mbappé and Jude Bellingham, but the move could not be finished successfully.
From a Monaco corner, the visitors once again came close to scoring, although the shot was comfortably saved by Thibaut Courtois.
Shortly afterwards, Franco Mastantuono nearly scored Madrid’s third goal, but his shot narrowly missed the target.
Courtois continued his excellent performance with another important save.
Although Real Madrid attacked well, there were still small mistakes in their passing combinations during transitions.
Throughout the match, many Madrid players seemed focused on creating opportunities specifically for Mbappé. Since Xabi Alonso’s arrival, the team’s attacking style appears more centred around finishing moves through the French star.
Even though Ansu Fati was one of the most talked-about names before the game, he struggled to make an impact and failed to create any dangerous attacking moments.
+2 minutes were added at the end of the first half.
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Second Half
Real Madrid made the first substitution of the second half:
Asencio out, Ceballos in.
Soon after the restart, another excellent team move led to Real Madrid’s third goal, scored by Franco Mastantuono.
Although Monaco continued trying to score, most of their shots were either too weak or too easy for Courtois to handle.
A dangerous Madrid passing sequence eventually forced Monaco into scoring an own goal, making it 4–0.
From another corner, Real Madrid almost scored a fifth goal through Bellingham.
Whenever Ansu Fati’s name was announced — both during the line-ups and when he was substituted — parts of the Bernabéu crowd whistled him. The former Barcelona player did not receive a warm reception from Madrid fans.
Vinícius Júnior later added another goal for Real Madrid.
Monaco eventually scored their only goal of the night after a defensive mistake from Madrid.
However, another defensive error from Monaco quickly allowed Real Madrid to score their sixth goal of the match.
+3 minutes were added in the second half.
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