Arsenal 1-3 Monaco: A painful blow for Wenger's team.

Despite being considered the stronger team, the Emirates Stadium side suffered a shocking defeat in the first leg of the Champions League round of 16 on February 25th.

Giroud had six shots in the match but all went wide. Photo: Reuters.

Arsenal are considered to have drawn a lucky group in the last 16 this year, compared to other second-placed teams or their own performances in recent seasons. Facing a team with many key players missing like Monaco is clearly a much easier task than facing Barcelona or Bayern Munich.

However, Arsenal still suffered a disastrous result in the first leg of the round of 16. At their home ground, Emirates Stadium, Arsene Wenger's team unexpectedly lost, playing both ineffectively and unluckily. The "Professor" had a reunion with his former team in the most disappointing way possible. The English media were also humiliated, as just 24 hours before the match, they had portrayed the Gunners as the "dark horse" of the Champions League and even predicted Arsenal would win the title.

The Round of 16 remains a difficult jinx for the Gunners to break. For four consecutive seasons, Arsenal have been eliminated at this stage, and it is highly likely that this number will increase to five.

For Monaco, scoring three away goals is a huge advantage. The team, currently fourth in Ligue 1, has one foot in the quarter-finals.

Compensating for a dull first half from both teams, the final result was dramatic, especially in injury time. Monaco, playing defensively, were fortunate to take the lead through Geoffrey Kondogbia. Arsenal were forced to push forward in search of an equalizer but were caught off guard, with Dimitar Berbatov delivering the finishing blow.

In the first minute of added time, substitute midfielder Oxlade-Chamberlain reduced the deficit to 1-2, rekindling hope for the Gunners. However, in the final minute of added time, once again from a quick counter-attack, Ferreira Carrasco sealed the victory with a decisive shot.

Not only did Arsenal play poorly, but they also had bad luck. Oliver Giroud was incredibly wasteful with a series of shots going wide. Particularly noteworthy was the situation in the 57th minute when the French striker blasted the ball over the crossbar from very close range despite having an empty net.

Danny Welbeck had a shot from 5 meters out, with no goalkeeper in sight, but the ball hit Theo Walcott.

Seeing his team struggling, the French coach couldn't hide his disappointment on the sidelines.

Coach Wenger covered his face in frustration over his players' lackluster performance. Photo: Reuters.

Arsenal controlled the game, while Monaco opted for a defensive counter-attacking strategy. It's no coincidence that the French team conceded only one goal in six group stage matches in this season's Champions League. Faced with such a well-organized defense, the Gunners played at a slow pace, leading to a deadlock in their attempts to find the back of the net.

Monaco occasionally launched counter-attacks, but none were particularly dangerous. However, luck smiled on the visiting team. Arsenal had no shots on target in the first half, while Monaco scored on one occasion. In the 38th minute, Geoffrey Kondogbia took a speculative shot, which deflected off Per Metersacker and flew into the net, leaving goalkeeper Ospina helpless.

In the second half, the home team increased their pace and played faster. As a result, more opportunities arose, but the goals didn't come due to a lack of finishing ability from their strikers.

In the 53rd minute, Monaco launched a textbook counter-attack. Just three visiting players beat more than six Arsenal players with well-placed passes. After a few touches, the ball reached Berbatov, who was unmarked, and the experienced Bulgarian striker decisively shot to double the lead.

Berbatov remains effective in one-on-one situations with the goalkeeper. Photo: KQ.

Manager Wenger substituted Walcott and Chamberlain into the game, hoping to capitalize on the speed of the two English players. In the first minute of added time, Chamberlain scored a beautiful goal from outside the penalty area, reducing the deficit to 1-2.

A few minutes later, the English midfielder lost possession again while Arsenal were attacking, allowing Monaco to launch a quick counter-attack. Ferrreira then had the opportunity to shoot diagonally, beating Ospina.

According to VNE