Before the first leg of the round of 16 of the European League between Monaco and SC Braga, Thursday (6:45 pm), take a look at the previous confrontations between the red and white teams and the Portuguese clubs.
Unique sticker. For the first time in the official competition, AS Monaco and Sporting Clube de Braga face off during 8And the European League Final. After losing the first leg (2-0), the emirate club currently has a negative record against the Portuguese teams, with two wins, two draws and six defeats.
Belenenses to get started
It all started perfectly, since Monaco cleared the first Portuguese hurdle without incident 1989-1990 season. Participating in the Coupe des Coupe, Arsène Wenger eliminated the Belenenses as they entered the competition, with a draw (1-1) and then a big win over Louis-II (3-0), thanks to a George Weah double and a goal from Fabrice Miege.
“Return” against Sporting
The next seven matches against Portuguese clubs, before the first leg in Braga, were all in the Champions League. First against Sporting Portugal, in the group stage 1997-1998 season. The Reds and Whites lost heavily at Jose Alvalade Stadium (3-0), before returning in the second leg. They led 2-0 at the end of the first half, they eventually won 3-2 thanks to the duo of David Trezeguet – Thierry Henry, who scored three goals in 25 minutes.
Porto, the black beast
The most memorable, and sad, match in the memory of all Asemist fans is clearly the 2004 Champions League final, where they lost to FC Porto (3-0) at the end of Didier Deschamps’ men’s selection. The Dragons will find themselves on the road to Monaco during the group stage of the 2017-2018 season, with two heavy defeats on the clock (0-3, 5-2).
The Benfica Paradox
In addition to FC Porto and Sporting, Monaco also faced the third giant of Lusitian football, Benfica Lisbon, during the 2014-2015 UEFA Champions League. Ironically, the Reds and Whites, who will reach the quarter-finals this season, took only one point in both matches (0-0, 1-0) but took the lead in their group. Taken… last place.
Monaco’s record against Portuguese clubs: 2 wins, 2 draws, 6 losses, 9 goals, 20 goals conceded.