One of the main figures in the debacle of FC Barcelona against AS Monaco (2-1) at the Stade Louis II was, without a doubt, Marc-André Ter Stegen. The Barcelona goalkeeper was at the center of criticism for being a key part of a play that possibly influenced the course of the match against Monaco: the expulsion of Eric García.
The player from Mönchengladbach was the one who caused this unfortunate action, why? In the play, despite having two less risky passing options, with Pau Cubarsí on his right and Iñigo Martínez on the left, Ter Stegen decided to play the ball to the center with the one from Martorell.
Unfortunately, Eric García was being marked by a player from the Monaco team, who managed to take the ball away from him. Faced with this, the former Manchester City player had no choice but to commit a foul to prevent the imminent one-on-one with Ter Stegen. The result of this action? The '24' ended up committing a red card-worthy foul.
What did Ter Stegen express about the play that led to Eric García's expulsion?
Now, after the defeat of FC Barcelona, the German goalkeeper did not hesitate to comment on the expulsion and how this influenced the course of the match in front of the 'Movistar' microphones. "We didn't understand each other well in that situation, I feel sorry for Eric, who was harmed. And we played 80 minutes with one less player," started Ter Stegen.
"We didn't understand each other. Something happened that shouldn't happen to anyone. These are things in football. The defeat hurts, because with 10 on the field we stood up and tried to get a point."
However, beyond this poor result, Ter Stegen called for calm and urged to overcome this difficult moment, quickly focusing on FC Barcelona's next goal in the calendar to get back on the path of victory. "In the Champions League, you always have to win. That's the goal. We will try to win the next match at home. Now with the focus on the Villarreal match," concluded the German goalkeeper.