“Perfect start” – Adi Hütter had an unforgettable CL debut

First game as coach in the Champions League and then an immediate victory against FC Barcelona: Adi Hütter gave his AS Monaco a “perfect start” to the new league phase on Thursday evening at the Stade Louis II.

The Vorarlberg native emphasized this after the final whistle. The Monegasques inflicted the first defeat under new coach Hansi Flick on the Spanish LaLiga leader with a 2-1 home win after five previous league victories. “It was a fantastic success,” says Hütter.

This came about just as the 54-year-old wanted. The former 18-year-old striker George Ilenikhena became the match winner as a “joker” in the 78th minute with the 2:1 after declaring war on the back line.

The opening goal was scored by another 22-year-old, Maghnes Akliouche, who rewarded himself for a solo effort in the 16th minute.

“I am really proud, especially of players like Maghnes Akliouche, who played his first Champions League game, Eliesse Ben Seghir, who is 19, and Lamine Camara, who is 20. That is the young path we want to take here in Monaco,” explained Hütter.

Last time in the premier class 30 years ago

He is really happy for the players. “This will certainly remain a great memory for them,” said Hütter.

For him too, of course, as he had been working towards this moment for a long time, having previously played six games in the “Champions League” with Austria Salzburg 30 years ago.

“It was the first game and our first victory, I will never forget that,” emphasises the former Frankfurt coach. Just hearing the Champions League anthem from the coach’s bench was a great feeling.

The result made it even better: “I am happy for the team, for our fans and for the club.”

Monaco had already beaten Barcelona 3-0 in Spain during the preparation. Now they pulled off a much more important coup. “We deserved the win. Their goal came out of nowhere,” Monaco’s coach summed up.

Of course, it played into his team’s hands that Eric Garcia, who had been put in trouble by goalkeeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen with a catastrophic pass, was shown the red card in the 11th minute for a foul on ex-Salzburg player Takumi Minamino. “The exclusion was certainly an advantage for us, it helped us a lot,” admits Hütter.

“A magical evening”

Akliouche played a role in France’s Olympic team’s run to the final in the summer and is now a regular at the club. “It’s simple, it was a magical evening,” said the winger.

They went into the game with a clear plan. “We knew we could cause them problems. We are happy and hope that things continue like this,” said Akliouche. After Monaco’s first CL appearance in six years, a seemingly easier task awaits them on October 2 at Dinamo Zagreb.