Manchester City have crashed out of the Champions League after Monaco produced a late goal to win 3-1 (6-6 on aggregate) at the Stade Louis II.
The exit represents the first time one of Pep Guardiola’s side failed to reach the last-eight of the Champions League with goals from Kylian Mbappé, Fabinho and Tiemoué Bakayoko enough for Monaco whose first-half (and first leg) performance was worthy of the monumental victory.
City responded well in the second half and despite a huge improvement in the attacking third and Leroy Sane’s goal on the hour mark become the first team to be knocked out after scoring five goals in a first-leg tie, leaving Leicester City to fly the flag for England on the European front.
Both sides knew the opening goal would prove crucial and after pressing a lacklustre City back-four early on, the hosts fast start was rewarded after they broke the deadlock in the eight minute when Bernardo Silva’s cross was turned in from close range by the impressive Mbappé.
City struggled to match the French side’s urgency and failed to muster up a reply, instead the visitors found themselves two behind and in danger a last-16 exit when the influential Benjamin Mendy – who provided the Blues with problems all evening – played a one-two with Lemar before superbly finding Fabinho who finished smartly past Willy Caballero.
Despite scoring five and displaying free-flowing football in the reverse fixture, Guardiola’s team provided little in terms of an attacking threat in the first half and looked a shadow of the team that lined up two weeks ago at the Etihad.
City looked fluent after the interval and they should have netted the all important goal just before the hour mark when Kevin De Bruyne found Sterling with a wonderful dissecting ball but the former Liverpool man hesitated inside the area and instead tried to pick out Sergio Aguero who was quickly closed down by Andrea Raggi.
A nervous Monaco invited City pressure on and this could have cost Leonardo Jardim’s side when Sane’s blistering pace on the left-wing helped the German find space to pick out Aguero but the Argentine blasted his effort over the crossbar.
Moments later the 28-year-old was played in by David Silva but failed to beat Danijel Subašic whose outstretched left leg helped turn the ball out for a corner.
The inevitable arrived in the 60th minute as Sterling cut inside before unleashing his effort towards the bottom corner only to be met with a save from Subašic who pushed the England international’s effort into the path of Sane, leaving the German to fire home into an empty net.
Just as it looked like City had booked their quarter-final spot, Monaco conjured up a massive goal when Bakayoko’s header found the bottom left-hand corner from a pin-point Lemar free-kick in the 76th minute.
