Monaco 1992, almost forever the first – 05/06/2022 at 06:00
Monaco 1992, almost forever the first
Season 1991-1992, football France is in shock: OM, Auxerre, Lyon and Cannes fall by the wayside in the fall in European cups. AS Monaco, which some gossips say is not French, is the last survivor. For a semester, the men of Arsène Wenger live with the objective of becoming the first French club to win a European trophy, the C2 in this case. To fail on the last step against Werder Bremen after a few legendary matches.
November 1991, Monaco won 1-0 at Louis-II against the modest Swedes of Norrköping thanks to a goal from Christophe Robert. With the 2-1 first leg victory in Scandinavia, the Principality club quietly offered their ticket to the quarter-finals of the European Cup Winners’ Cup. Arsène Wenger and his men will therefore experience the European spring, unlike all the other residents of the French D1: Marseille, 1991 finalist, falls against Sparta Prague in the Champions Cup, Auxerre is knocked out at Anfield by Liverpool in the European Cup. ‘. Like AS Cannes, controlled by Dinamo Moscow, and Olympique Lyonnais, outclassed by the Turks of Trabzonspor. The ASM will therefore be the last French representative… or not.
“Monaco was a bit unloved because we were the Principality’s team”
, remembers Luc Sonor, defender during the campaign. But for him like his teammates, there was no ambiguity:
“It was double pride, we were defending France and the princely family.”
Hence the birth of a slogan:
“Monaco, the first French club to win a European Cup”
story of winning hearts.
“And above all, we felt we could do it, so we claimed our double identity”
specifies Jean-Luc Ettori, emblematic goalkeeper of the time.
Roma on the mat, return from the hell of De Kuip
Popular and media enthusiasm began in March 1992, following a trip to Rome.
“This double confrontation against AS Roma, one of the favorites, was of a very high level”
, owner Gérald Passi. More complicated than the Welsh of Swansea, crushed in the first round (2-1 to go; 8-0 to return), or the Swedes of Norrköping (2-1; 1-0).
“We missed a lot of chances in Rome, but our performance reassured us”
, rewinds Ettori. Because if the ASM did not make the difference at the Stadio Olimpico (0-0), its players
“understood that they had the level”
. The hardest part is
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