Barcelona manager Hansi Flick acknowledged that Eric Garcia’s early red card had a major impact on his team’s performance in their 2-1 defeat to Monaco in the Champions League on Thursday.
Monaco, making their return to the competition after a five-year absence, stunned Barcelona with a victory on home soil.
The match turned in Monaco’s favor when Maghnes Akilouche opened the scoring following Garcia’s dismissal in the 10th minute, leaving Barcelona down to 10 men.
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Although Lamine Yamal equalized for the La Liga side, George Ilenikhena sealed the win for Monaco.
In his post-match interview, Flick admitted that the red card shifted the momentum.
“The sending off changed the game completely,” Hansi Flick said. “Monaco deserved the win. We’ll review what happened, but even though we’re disappointed, we can still be proud. Now, we must focus on Sunday’s challenge.”
