Barcelona relinquishes Joan Gamper Trophy
Barcelona saw its 11-year run of victories in the Joan Gamper Trophy come crashing to a halt as Monaco trounced Hansi Flick's side 3-0 at Montjuic.
Flick was without several big names from the start as the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys played host to Barca's traditional curtain-raiser, though Robert Lewandowski started and the likes of Lamine Yamal, Ilkay Gundogan and Ferran Torres featured as substitutes.
Any hopes of a positive start to his reign were dashed by an impressive Monaco side after a goalless first half, Lamine Camara pouncing on a loose pass from Inigo Martinez to slot home a 50th-minute opener.
Breel Embolo added a second just seven minutes later, the Switzerland international timing his run to perfection before lifting a clipped finish past Marc-Andre ter Stegen.
Adi Hutter's visitor then added further gloss at the death, after a spate of Blaugrana changes. Substitute Christian Mawissa latched onto a loose ball on the right side of the area, then curled a delicate finish into the bottom-left corner to cap a poor night for Barca.
Not since a 2012 defeat to Sampdoria had Barcelona been beaten in the Joan Gamper Trophy, with an 8-0 rout of Santos and victories over Juventus, Arsenal and Tottenham among its standout results through an 11-year winning streak.
Barca may have been without several big names, but Flick now has food for thought ahead of his first game in charge in LaLiga, at Valencia on Sunday.
This is the first time Barcelona has lost by three or more goals without scoring in the Joan Gamper Trophy since 1981, when it was beaten 4-0 by Koln.
