AS Monaco boss Philippe Clément was staying upbeat despite his side's 3-2 (a.e.t.) defeat to PSV (4-3 on aggregate) in the return leg of the third round of Champions League qualifying. The principality club will now continue their continental campaign in the Europa League group stage.
After a 1-1 draw in the first leg in Holland, Monaco had it all to do as they welcomed PSV to the Stade Louis II on Tuesday night. With Guillermo Maripan (58') and Wissam Ben Yedder (70') hitting the back of the net, Monaco went 2-1 up and looked set to qualify for the play-offs... before Erick Gutierrez levelled it at 2-2 with a minute to go (89').
The match went into extra-time, during the second half of which Luuk De Jong struck the winner (109'), and Monaco were left to rue their missed chances and make their preparations for the Europa League group stage.
Clément: 'Proud of my players'
"Cruel, I think that's the right word," said Clément, who saw his side win their season opener against Strasbourg 2-1 at the weekend. "But qualification is two games and we also hit the crossbar at home in Monaco. We could also have had a penalty if you look at the images, but it wasn't awarded. We dominated the two games but in the end we didn't qualify. That's the way football is, that's what makes it great: being better doesn't mean winning the match, it's not like volleyball or basketball. I'm still very proud of my players because they had a lot of chances, they are winners, they will find the energy to get back up."
Monaco's next challenge comes when Rennes travel to the Stade Louis II for their Ligue 1 Uber Eats Round 2 clash on Saturday afternoon.
