There was not much sympathy for Arsenal in the British media after their disastrous 3-1 defeat to Monaco in the first leg of the Champions League tie against Monaco but their French counterparts certainly did not hold back either.
The front page of the sports daily L’Equipe went with the headline “Arsenal Foudroyé”, which translates as “Arsenal Blasted”, with Monaco’s win described as “One of the greatest Champions League performances by a French club”.
Olivier Giroud was singled out for the harshest treatment inside, with the former Montpellier striker given 2/10 for his performance and fingered as having “heavy responsibility” for the defeat. His team-mates did not fare much better however, with Mesut Özil awarded 3/10 and Santi Cazorla the only player to be deemed worthy of a 5.
Front page of @lequipe: 'ARSENAL BLASTED!' "One of the greatest Champions League performances by a French club." pic.twitter.com/FFsvhtwHdN
— Tom Williams (@tomwfootball) February 26, 2015
Le Monde is one of several papers to feature quotes from Prince Albert II of Monaco, who was in London to watch the game. Speaking to broadcasters Bein Sports after the match, he revealed that he had visited the Arsenal changing room before kickoff.
“Before the game, I was lucky enough to be able to say hello to Arsène Wenger,” he said. “I told him: ‘Listen Arsène, be nice to us,’ and he told me: ‘But it’s up to you to be nice to us.’ He said that in a jokey tone, of course, but it turned out to be true.
“He really left his mark on the club and its history. We owe him a lot. It’s true that it hurts a little bit to have stolen the show, but I think he won’t hold it against us. We’ll still give him a great welcome in Monaco in three weeks.”
The local newspaper Monaco-Matin opted for the headline “AS Monaco: un exploit majuscule à Arsenal”, which translates to a “Monaco: a capital feat at Arsenal”, and their report was glowing in its praise for manager Leonardo Jardim and his team.
“Monaco inflicted a lesson in realism over Arsenal on Wednesday in the quarter-finals of the Champions League and now have a perfect shot at qualification,” it read. “ASM, who were dominated without too much to worry about in the first 10 minutes before scoring with the first two shots on target of the match, have ruined Arsène Wenger’s reunion with his former club.”