Champions League 2016/17: AS Monaco 3-1 Borussia Dortmund, 5 Talking Points
Leonardo Jardim secured his fresh, young and vibrant Monaco side a place in the last four of the Champions League for the first time in thirteen years. The Ligue 1 outfit triumphed over Borussia Dortmund over both legs, with an aggregate scoreline of 6-3.
It didn't take long for Monaco to increase their lead as just three minutes into the contest at the Stade Louis II; Benjamin Mendy decided to take matters into his own hands. His mesmeric run culminated in a stunning shot that stunned the hands of Roman Burki in the Dortmund goal, who could only parry the ball into the path of the onrushing Kylian Mbappe.
The youngster tapped home to give Monaco a 1-0 lead on the night, and double their aggregate advantage.
Monaco doubled the scoreline later on in the half when Falcao expertly dispatched an incredible header to all-but secure their place in the semi-finals. Nonetheless, Dortmund refused to be ruled out, and Ousmane Dembele ensured he left a mark against his former Ligue 1 competitors.
A jinking run on the right side resulted in a beautiful ball played across the box for Marco Reus to hammer home and provide the Germans with a glimmer of hope.
Valerie Germain added a third with iconic celebrations soon taking place. Dortmund certainly produced more in the final 40 minutes than any other stage during the two-legged affair to leave everyone pondering what could have been.
Monaco progress and here are the major talking points from last night's contest.
#1 Attack, attack, attack!
One thing was guaranteed when AS Monaco and Borussia Dortmund were drawn together, goals were certainly going to be scored freely. It may not have witnessed twelve goals like the Manchester City vs AS Monaco tie in the previous round, but not many could deny the quality of attacking threat on display over the one-hundred-and-eighty-minute contest.
It was totally a tale of two halves as Jardim's side wanted to bury the tie in the early moments of the match itself. Even after the first goal, Monaco refused to sit back, and with speedy wingers and overlapping fullbacks, terrorised the Dortmund defence, which led to the second goal.
In the second-half, it was Dortmund's turn to impress and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Marco Reus and Ousmane Dembele left no stone unturned to get their side back in the game, however, it was not to be. Season ticket holders at either club certainly couldn't be disappointed by the entertainment on offer on a weekly basis.