UCL Memories: When Monaco Stunned Manchester City in the Champions League
There are some European nights that never fade from memory. For AS Monaco, the 2016-2017 Champions League Round of 16 against Manchester City remains one of the club’s greatest triumphs. Eight years on, as the two sides prepare to meet again on the continental stage, it’s the perfect time to revisit that unforgettable double-header.
First Leg: Monaco undone at the Etihad
Having topped a group containing Bayer Leverkusen, Tottenham, and CSKA Moscow, Leonardo Jardim’s men were handed a daunting draw against Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City.
At the Etihad Stadium, the stage belonged to Monaco’s dazzling attack. Kylian Mbappé, making his first Champions League start, and Radamel Falcao lit up Manchester with a fearless attacking brand of football. Falcao’s header and Mbappé’s thunderous strike had put the visitors 2-1 up before half-time.
“El Tigre” even produced a sublime lob for his second of the night, but City’s firepower proved relentless. Sergio Agüero’s brace, combined with goals from Raheem Sterling, John Stones, and Leroy Sané, gave Guardiola’s men a 5-3 advantage heading into the return leg.
Second Leg: The remontada at the Stade Louis-II
Back at the Stade Louis-II, Monaco needed two goals without reply to overturn the deficit. They got just that inside half an hour. Kylian Mbappé struck after only eight minutes to ignite belief. Then soon after, Fabinho finished off a sweeping move to make it 2-0 on the night and 5-5 on aggregate.
For a brief moment, Sané’s goal tilted the balance back in City’s favour, but Monaco weren’t to be denied. In the 77th minute, Tiémoué Bakayoko powered home a decisive header from a free-kick, sealing a 3-1 win and qualification for the quarter-finals on away goals.
Final score (second leg): AS Monaco 3–1 Manchester City (aggregate 6–6, Monaco advance on away goals)
A legendary European campaign
That victory was more than just progression—it was a statement. A young Monaco side featuring Mbappé, Bernardo Silva, Benjamin Mendy, Fabinho, and Bakayoko stunned Europe for a season which put Monaco firmly on the European map.
The Rouge et Blanc would go on to eliminate Borussia Dortmund in the quarter-finals before falling to Juventus in the semi-finals, but the memory of that night in March 2017 at the Stade Louis-II remains etched in club folklore.
Did you know?
Kylian Mbappé’s strike at the Etihad was his first ever Champions League goal.
Radamel Falcao finished the 2016-17 Champions League campaign with seven goals in just eight appearances.
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