Champions League: Eric Dier’s late strike earns AS Monaco dramatic draw with Man City
© AS Monaco
For their first Champions League outing at the Stade Louis-II this season, AS Monaco managed to snatch a point against Pep Guardiola’s exceptional Manchester City following Eric Dier’s late leveller.
Two weeks on from their heavy loss vs Club Brugge, Les Monegasques reacted well against the winner of the 2023 edition of the competition. Despite a brace from Norwegian star Erling Haaland, ASM’s late penalty, which Dier converted with aplomb, secured a courageous draw (2-2). A fiercely contested match played in a heated atmosphere, attended by president Dmitry Rybolovlev.
A more compact tactical scheme
Eight years after their last Champions League confrontation, which was won by the Principality club, Man City returned to the Stade Louis-II, with a certain Bernardo Silva, 2016/2017 French champion with ASM. Coach Adi Hütter, deprived of many players, decided to line up with a back five, with winger Ansu Fati, who had scored in his previous three appearances, notably starting on the left side.
However, after a fairly quiet beginning to the match, it was the visitors who broke the deadlock thanks to Haaland. The Norwegian striker took advantage of a sublime pass from Josko Gvardiol before expertly lobbing Philipp Köhn (15′).
Teze’s response
Although they conceded the opener, the Monegasques recovered quickly. Deployed in midfield, the usual right-back Jordan Teze then woke up the entire stadium. Under the eyes of Denis Zakaria and Paul Pogba, surrounded by his loved ones in the stands, the Dutchman unleashed a splendid curler from range to bring his team level (18′).
JORDAN TEZE RÉPOND À HAALAND ET ÉGALISE POUR MONACO ☄️
— CANAL+ Foot (@CanalplusFoot) October 1, 2025
Les hommes du Rocher sont à hauteur de Manchester City en direct sur CANAL+FOOT 🇲🇨#MONMCI | #UCL pic.twitter.com/aZkH66pTsG
A few moments later, there was another blow for the Monegasque players with the exit of Vanderson through a hamstring injury. Dominating, the English heavyweights continued to put pressure on Monaco, as Phil Foden hit the crossbar with a powerful shot (32′).
Haaland ruthless
Guardiola’s players logically regained the lead just before half-time. On a cross from Nico O’Reilly, the towering powerhouse Haaland impressively headed past the diving Köhn (44′), who was decisive several times throughout the game (36′, 41′, 73′).
After the break, the Sky Blues maintained control of the ball and prevented Monaco from creating clear chances. With 20 minutes to go, it was again the woodwork that kept ASM alive following Tijjani Reijnders’ fine attempt (72′).
Dier the saviour
While defeat seemed to be looming once more, Monaco benefited from a penalty after the intervention of VAR. Indeed, following a set piece, Dier was struck in the face by the foot of Nico González (84′). Dier did not tremble and took charge of converting the spot kick, as he outfoxed Gianluigi Donnarumma to equalise (90′).
The fans, who were present in large numbers for this prestigious fixture, burst into joy after this second Monegasque goal, as they gained their first in this Champions League. In a match where City held the ascendancy for vast periods, ASM were rightfully ecstatic with the result, as they can now prepare more serenely for the derby against neighbours OGC Nice this Sunday in the league (5:15 p.m.).
Hero of the evening, the former Bayern Munich and Tottenham Hotspur defender shared his thoughts afterwards, stating: “I feel good after this result. Obviously, we didn’t win, but it was against a great opponent. We showed a lot of character in the way we played – that’s the most impressive thing. We can be proud of the efforts made.”
Derby awaits
For his part, ASM boss Hütter was delighted with this positive outcome. “It’s certain that in the end, the equalising goal was a liberation. I also want to congratulate my players, who, given the circumstances and the absence of six or seven key players, were fantastic, even though I believe in each of them. So I want to compliment them once again! I think that in the end we deserved this draw, because we never gave up on the pitch, which makes me proud.”
According to the coach, ASM had to adapt its game plan against a Manchester City team renowned for its possession play and ability to stifle its opponents: “Over the 90 minutes […] it was undoubtedly our best performance of the season. Normally, I like us to be high up the pitch and press the opposition, but against Manchester City that’s just impossible. And my players did very well, even though they were very strong in possession. Despite everything, we had chances to score, although we were also lucky that they hit the crossbar twice. But that’s football, and sometimes you need luck against City,” explained the Austrian tactician.
