Barcelona were beaten 2-1 by Monaco in their opening match of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League as teenage Nigerian striker George Ilenikhena struck the winning goal in the second half.
The Catalans were reduced to 10 men after only 10 minutes, Eric Garcia receiving a straight red card for a professional foul on former Liverpool forward Takumi Minamino.
Monaco took the lead through a fine finish from Maghnes Akliouche, but Barca's teenage sensation Lamine Yamal struck a superb equaliser as Hansi Flick's side dug deep despite the man disadvantage.
However, with around 20 minutes of the game remaining, substitute Ilenikhena marked his first appearance for Monaco in the competition with a powerful finish to secure maximum points in their opening league-phase match.
In the process, he became the youngest goal scorer in the Champions League for the club, breaking the previous record set by Real Madrid star Kylian Mbappe.
18 - George Ilenikhena (18 years and 34 days) is the youngest @ChampionsLeague goal scorer ever for @AS_Monaco, breaking the previous record set by Kylian Mbappé in 2017 (18 years and 63 days). Prince. pic.twitter.com/ORhRn5a13n
— OptaJohan (@OptaJohan) September 19, 2024
Remarkably, it's not the first time the 18-year-old has scored a Champions League winner against Barca. For Royal Antwerp last season, he scored the second of his side's two injury-time goals to seal a 3-2 win.
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Who is George Ilenikhena?
Ilenikhena only signed for Monaco in the recent transfer window, joining from Belgian side Royal Antwerp.
Born in Lagos, Nigeria, in August 2006, he moved with his family at the age of three to Antony, one of the suburbs of Paris.
A promising amateur footballer, he signed for Amiens in 2021 and spent two years there before moving to Antwerp. His first Champions League goal for the club came in that dramatic 3-2 defeat of Barca in December 2023.
MORE: All the latest Champions League news | How does the 2024/25 Champions League work? | Full UCL match schedule
Why was Eric Garcia sent off against Monaco?
Garcia received a straight red card for a professional foul on Minamino after just 10 minutes of the game.
12 - #Barcelona 🔵🔴 have lost 12 of their last 26 games in the #ChampionsLeague (46.2%), one more than in their previous 79 games in the competition (13.9%). Thorn. pic.twitter.com/RLAwLj0xGF
— OptaJose (@OptaJose) September 19, 2024
Goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen played a poor pass to the centre-back and he was dispossessed by Japanese forward Minamino. As he tried to win back the ball on the edge of the area, Garcia proceeded to foul his opponent and was sent off for denying a clear goal-scoring opportunity.
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