August 12, (THEWILL) – Monaco delivered a shock 3-0 defeat to Barcelona in the Joan Gamper Trophy, ending the Catalan club’s 11-year winning streak in their traditional season curtain-raiser.
The match, played at the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys, marked Hansi Flick’s first home game in charge of Barcelona. Despite fielding Robert Lewandowski and bringing on stars like Lamine Yamal, Ilkay Gundogan, and Ferran Torres as substitutes, Barcelona struggled to make an impact.
Monaco broke the deadlock in the 50th minute when Lamine Camara capitalised on a loose pass from Inigo Martinez. Breel Embolo doubled the lead seven minutes later with a well-timed run and finish.
Christian Mawissa sealed the victory for Monaco in the closing stages, curling a precise shot into the bottom-left corner. The result marked Barcelona’s first loss by three or more goals without scoring in the Joan Gamper Trophy since 1981 when they were beaten 4-0 by Koln.
The defeat raises questions for Flick ahead of Barcelona’s La Liga opener against Valencia on Saturday. Monaco, under the guidance of manager Adi Hutter, impressed with their clinical finishing and tactical discipline throughout the match.
This result ends Barcelona’s dominant run in the Joan Gamper Trophy, which had seen them record victories against notable opponents such as Juventus, Arsenal, and Tottenham in recent years. The loss serves as a wake-up call for the Blaugrana as they prepare for what lies ahead in the 2024/2025 season.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
