When AS Monaco eliminated Real Madrid's Galacticos

It was after a legendary two-legged tie that our Rouge et Blanc defeated a Real Madrid team with Zidane, Figo, and Ronaldo in the quarterfinals of the 2003-2004 Champions League.

This is a match that is bound to bring back special memories. This Tuesday at the Santiago Bernabéu Stadium (9 PM), AS Monaco and Real Madrid will meet for the third time in their history. So, before they face each other again on this occasion of the seventh matchday of the Champions League league phase, we look back at their legendary double-legged tie in the 2003-2004 season, one which sealed qualification on the part of the Rouge et Blanc for the competition’s semifinals. Flashback 🎞️

First leg: Keep hope alive 🏟️

Having enjoyed a stellar group stage, notably with a resounding 8-3 victory over Deportivo La Coruña, the men of Didier Deschamps then narrowly defeated Lokomotiv Moscow in the round of 16 thanks to a crucial goal from Dado Pršo. Having qualified for the quarterfinals, the club from the Principality were drawn against a formidable opponent: Real Madrid and its “Galácticos” inclduing players such as Ronaldo, Zinédine Zidane, Luis Figo, and David Beckham.

The first leg goes Real Madrid’s way

In the legendary Santiago Bernabéu stadium, the Monaco players were not intimidated by the occasion and played with complete freedom. They were even rewarded before halftime when Sébastien Squillaci opened the scoring from close range (0-1, 43′). The second half, however, proved much more difficult, and it was hard to withstand the onslaught from the Madrid side, who scored four goals through Ivan Helguera (1-1, 51′), Zidane (2-1, 70′), Figo (3-1, 77′), and Ronaldo (4-1, 81′).

Morientes scores to allow hope to remain

Trailing 4-1, the Rouge et Blanc refused to give up, and barely two minutes later, they managed to reduce the deficit through Fernando Morientes, who inflicted pain on his former team. From a cross by Jaroslav Plasil, he headed the ball powerfully from the penalty spot, a shot that Iker Casillas was unable to stop (4-2, 83′). This goal offered a glimmer of hope ahead of the second leg, which would take place at the Stade Louis-II two weeks later.

Match details:

2003-2004 Champions League – Quarterfinals, first leg

Real Madrid 4-2 AS Monaco

Halftime: 0-1

Goals: Helguera (51′), Zidane (70′), Figo (77′) and Ronaldo (81′) for Real Madrid; Squillaci (43′) and Morientes (83′) for AS Monaco

Bookings: Bernardi (41′), Squillaci (76′) for AS Monaco

Real Madrid: Casillas – Salgado, Helguera, Mejía, Raul Bravo (Pavon, 28′) – Beckham, Figo, Guti (Borja, 77′) – Zidane – Ronaldo (Solari, 82′), Raùl

Manager: Carlos Queiroz

AS Monaco: Roma – Givet (Ibarra, 83′), Squillaci, Rodriguez, Evra (El Fakiri, 90′) – Bernardi, Zikos, Cissé (Plasil, 66′) – Giuly, Morientes, Rothen

Manager: Didier Deschamps

Second leg: Real Madrid get pegged back 🚣‍♂️

As the second leg approached, the Stade Louis-II was sold out for this prestigious match, where everyone hoped to see AS Monaco achieve one of the greatest feats ever accomplished by a French club. Unfortunately, things became even more complicated when Raúl scored the opening goal of the match shortly after the half-hour mark, giving Real Madrid the lead (0-1, 35′).

AS Monaco refuses to give up!

Hopes were fading, but the Monaco captain refused to surrender and equalized just before halftime with a volley from outside the penalty area (1-1, 45′). This goal completely changed the complexion of the match, as shortly after the restart, Fernando Morientes scored with a magnificent header, putting Didier Deschamps’ men back in contention for qualification (2-1, 48′).

Giuly with a moment of brilliance to secure qualification!

Qualification seemed secure, but it became even more so 20 minutes later when Ludovic Giuly, inspired by a moment of genius, executed a “Madjer” backheel that was as subtle as it was sublime, leaving Iker Casillas stunned (3-1, 66′). Real Madrid couldn’t recover and AS Monaco had eliminated one of Europe’s biggest clubs and written one of the most glorious chapters in its history.

Match details:

 2003-2004 Champions League – Quarterfinals, second leg

AS Monaco 3-1 Real Madrid

Halftime: 1-1

Goals: Giuly (45+1, 66′), and Morientes (48′) for AS Monaco; Raùl (35′) for Real Madrid

Bookings: Roma (90′) for AS Monaco; Helguera (30′) and Borja (60′) for Real Madrid

AS Monaco: Roma – Ibarra, Rodriguez, Givet, Evra – Giuly (El-Fakiri, 82′), Plãsil, Cissé, Rothen – Morientes (Adebayor, 85′), Pršo (Nonda, 61′)