AS Monaco suffered a 3-0 defeat against Inter Milan at San Siro on Wednesday, January 29, after being reduced to ten men early in the match. Despite the loss, the Red and Whites have secured their place in the Champions League play-offs, keeping their hopes alive for a spot in the top eight.

Facing an Inter side unbeaten in their last 12 home Champions League matches, Monaco knew they were up against one of the tournament’s strongest contenders. Head coach Adi Hütter stuck with a 4-2-3-1 formation, with Breel Embolo leading the attack. Over 1,200 Monaco supporters filled the stands of the Giuseppe Meazza stadium, but their team quickly found itself in trouble. Just four minutes in, Denis Zakaria fouled Marcus Thuram in the box, leading to a penalty converted by Lautaro Martinez. The night worsened when Christian Mawissa received a red card for bringing down Thuram on a breakaway in the 12th minute. With their opponents reduced to ten men, Inter capitalised, and Martinez struck again just four minutes later after being set up by Nicolo Barella.

Monaco fought to regain possession and slow down Inter’s relentless attacks. Radoslaw Majecki made key saves to deny Federico Dimarco and Stefan de Vrij, while Monaco struggled to create scoring opportunities. The first half ended with the visitors trailing by two goals.

After the break, Monaco showed resilience, with Majecki stopping efforts from Marcus Thuram and Benjamin Pavard. However, Inter’s pressure proved too much, and Martinez completed his hat trick in the 67th minute, reacting quickly to a rebound. Things went from bad to worse for Monaco when Jordan Teze was forced off due to injury in the 84th minute, leaving the team to finish with just nine players. Inter nearly extended their lead, but Marko Arnautovic’s header missed the target.

Despite the defeat, Monaco has secured a place in the Champions League play-offs, finishing 17th in the standings. Their next opponent will be determined in Friday’s draw, where they will find out whether they face PSG or Benfica in a crucial two-legged tie on February 11/12 and 18/19.