Berlin: Monaco scored twice late to shock hosts Bayer Leverkusen 3-2 in a see-saw clash at the UEFA Europa League play-off first leg.
The visitors started brightly on the road as Leverkusen goalkeeper Lukas Hradecky fumbled the ball into the wrong goal whilst under pressure from Monaco striker Breel Embolo nine minutes into the encounter, reports Xinhua news agency.
The Werkself was shocked and couldn’t respond whereas Monaco gained momentum as Embolo rattled the side netting from a promising position in the 21st minute before Krepin Diatta tested Hradecky with a dangerous effort before the break.
Leverkusen eventually showed signs of life in the dying seconds of the first half when Robert Andrich’s dropkick missed the target just wide.
The hosts started dominantly in the second half and leveled the scores in the 48th minute after Moussa Diaby made the most of Jeremie Frimpong’s and Florian Wirtz’s good build-up work.
Monaco couldn’t resist, whereas Wirtz completed Leverkusen’s comeback 11 minutes later after finishing off a solo run through the visitor’s defense to get the 2-1 lead.
The visitors recovered and restored parity out of the blue in the 74th minute when Diatta’s well-placed curl caught Hradecky flat-footed.
In injury time, things went from bad to worse for Leverkusen as Monaco snatched the winner courtesy of Axel Disasi’s long-rang bouncing ball.
“We need a really good performance in the second leg. It is not yet over. We know we must win, and we know exactly what we must do to get there. We will be well prepared,” said Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso.
–IANS