After Barcelona’s early red card in the competition—Eric García—was sent off in the tenth minute, they faced an uphill task.

Shortly after, Yamal (17 years, 68 days old) opened his account in the Champions League precisely one year to the day after making his competition debut. Barca responded with a goal of their own, but Yamal’s strike into the bottom-right corner from 20 yards put Monaco ahead.

However, Monaco was the stronger team and rightfully won the game with three goals in the second half. In the 71st minute, George Ilenikhena held his composure to score past Marc-André ter Stegen.

With that, he broke Kylian Mbappé’s record of 18 years, 63 days, becoming Monaco’s youngest-ever UCL goalscorer (18y, 34d), and the Ligue 1 team made sure their campaign got off to a winning start.

In addition, this was the first loss for recently appointed Barcelona manager Hansi Flick, who had hoped to become the first manager to win six games in command of the team since 1960.

For the match against Barcelona, Adolf Hutter trusted right-back Vanderson to handle Yamal’s danger, so he played him on the left. With the exception of the 17-year-old’s incredible goal in the first half, the 23-year-old’s decision to start paid off as he played admirably all night against both Jules Kounde and Yamal. It was scarcely Vanderson’s fault there.

This loss will certainly raise questions about the team’s current form and strategy. With the season in full swing, Barcelona must regroup quickly. Fans will be hoping for a swift return to form as they face a critical stretch of matches that could define their season.

As the dust settles from this disappointing defeat, the Barcelona faithful remain hopeful that their team will learn and adapt, turning setbacks into comebacks in the weeks to come.