TEENAGE SENSATION KYLIAN Mbappe scored again to set Monaco on their way to a 3-1 second-leg victory over Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday that allowed them to win their Champions League quarter-final 6-3 on aggregate.
Radamel Falcao also netted for the home side in a whirlwind start at the Stade Louis II, and Dortmund were left with too much to do to save the tie.
Their skipper Marco Reus pulled a goal back early in the second half but Valere Germain came off the bench to put the seal on a famous win for a brilliant young Monaco side, who go through to the last four for the first time since 2004.
Meanwhile, Dortmund bow out after a tie overshadowed by the bomb attack on the team’s bus last week that forced the first leg to be postponed by a day.
The Germans lost that match 3-2, their minds elsewhere, but their hopes of turning the tie around in the second leg were not helped when their bus was held up on the way to the Stade Louis II, leading to a five-minute delay to the kick-off.
Uefa blamed “heavy traffic” for the hold-up but, on their official Twitter account, Dortmund said they had been delayed in leaving their hotel by police for around 20 minutes “without justification”.
While the appearance of Spanish defender Marc Bartra — who needed surgery for a broken wrist suffered in last week’s attack — at the stadium was a boost to Dortmund, the delay unsettled Thomas Tuchel’s side and their hopes of turning the tie around were effectively ended in a terrible opening 20 minutes.
The away defence backed off as Benjamin Mendy advanced and when the full-back’s powerful left-foot strike stung the palms of goalkeeper Roman Burki, the 18-year-old Mbappe was on hand to convert the rebound.
That strike meant Mbappe, who netted twice in the first leg, became the youngest player ever to reach five goals in the Champions League, beating Real Madrid great Raul by 41 days.
Nuri Sahin cracked a free-kick off a post at the other end and Monaco survived that scare to increase their lead on 17 minutes at the end of a counter-attack.
The rampaging Mendy’s initial cross came back to Thomas Lemar and he held up a ball that was headed home by captain Falcao, the prolific Colombian marking his 50th appearance in European competition with his 45th goal.
Like in the first leg, Tuchel’s decision to start with three at the back had backfired and he changed things up before the half-hour mark, bringing on Ousmane Dembele for Erik Durm and revertng to a four-man defence.
Dortmund now needed to score three times without reply just to force extra time but they did not manage to get one back until three minutes after the restart, Dembele tormenting Mendy on the right before his cutback was lashed home first-time by Reus.
But it was Monaco who had the best chances to score again after that, with Burki tipping over Almamy Toure’s looping header and Falcao squandering a fine chance before substitute Germain made sure of their place in the last four.
He had only just come on for Mbappe when he applied a first-time finish to Lemar’s square ball with nine minutes to go, allowing Monaco to join Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Juventus in the semi-final draw.
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Hopefully the trio make it! They are an integral part of our Six Nations squad. Keep it up lads!!!
@Ollie Fitzpatrick: lowe and Dan are part of the 6 nations squad but connors is nowhere near that squad. Hodnet, timoney, pendergast are all way ahead of him. Not to mention with conan going to 8 we have doris who can play 7 as can POM. Infact I’d rather see Scott penny get time for leinster than will.
@chris mcdonnell: I completely agree. I’d ate my own underpants if Connors is named tomorrow
@Niall Boyle: hopefully those pants are in better condition than the pair I wore on Sunday
@Niall Boyle: I’ll hold you to that
@chris mcdonnell: with the best will in the world POM cannot play 7 in the 6 Nations.
Hope they don’t rush Sheehan back this Saturday. 50 mins against the Stormers on the 25th of Jan and then into the 6 nations squad. Connors now needs to stay fit for the rest of the season if he wants to ever make an Ireland squad, at nearly 29 time is running out
Lowe is too slow. Osborne a better long term bet.
@conor carroll: Osbourne isn’t a wing, he can do the job but he’s a 12 or 15. Lowe being “slow” didn’t stop him being named in the world XV this year or being one of our best performing players.
@conor carroll: not on the wing he isnt,hes not a winger and it showed on sunday,great 12 and 15,lowe though offers far more on the left wing,breaks tackles,carries,big left boot and has vastly improved his defence,also always goes hunting for the ball and gets stuck in to mauls and excellent under the high ball,pace is not everything.
@conor carroll: Interesting statement. If you actually watched rugby you’d see that Lowe is probably quicker than Osborne in a foot race. Osborne has many, many strengths. Pace isn’t one of them.
@conor carroll: Nash is the pace merchant played all the 6 nations last year
Honestly, is Lowe still a starter for Leinster? I just really can’t see how you leave out Jamie Osborne even if he was rusty on the wing at the weekend, like his skill level for that try was ridiculous. He also has just a big left boot as Lowe.
@Eoin H: lowe is the left winger for both ireland and leinster.
@Eoin H: Osborne isn’t a winger and should only be playing there in a pinch. Lowe is also the better player generally right now
@Gary D: He definitely isn’t the better all round player generally, no way
@Eoin H: Well he has been a starter for the last 7.5 years. And he was a starter right up until his injury. Osborne is far far better utilised at 12 or 15. Let’s just play lads in their correct positions.
@Eoin H: I partially agree with you. Osbourne has an ability to hold on to passes that others would knock on and is too good to leave out of the team. Lowe is a try scoring machine as well though so not sure I’d leave him out either. I’d probably play Osbourne at 12 and leave Henshaw on the bench for impact