January 2017 - Halfway Point
Monaco sat top of Ligue 1 at the winter break. 49 points from 19 matches. Five points clear of second-place Nice. Eight points clear of PSG in third.
The media was going crazy. Could Monaco actually win the title? Could the Princes lead them to their first championship in 17 years?
Jardim kept expectations measured. "We focus on one match at a time. Every opponent in Ligue 1 is difficult. We stay humble, stay hungry."
But privately, he believed. This team was special.
February 14 - Champions League Round of 16, First LegMonaco vs Manchester City
The knockout rounds brought English opposition again. Pep Guardiola's Manchester City—billions spent, stars everywhere, massive expectations.
But Monaco feared no one.
The match at Stade Louis II was a spectacle. End-to-end football. Attacking football. Goals everywhere.
City scored first through Raheem Sterling. Monaco equalized through Falcao. City went ahead again through Sergio Agüero. Monaco equalized again through Ethan—a brilliant first-time finish from Lemar's cross.
2-2 at halftime.
The second half was even crazier. Mbappé scored to make it 3-2. Bernardo Silva made it 4-2. City pulled one back through John Stones. Ethan scored his second—a chip over the goalkeeper after a brilliant through ball from Moutinho.
Final score: Monaco 5, Manchester City 3.
Ethan: two goals. Mbappé: one goal. The Princes had destroyed Guardiola's City.
All of Europe stood up and noticed.
March 8 - Champions League Round of 16, Second LegManchester City vs Monaco
The Etihad Stadium. Fifty-five thousand fans. City needing to overcome a two-goal deficit.
They attacked from the first whistle. Wave after wave of blue shirts. Monaco defended deep, absorbed pressure, looked for counters.
City scored in the twenty-first minute through Sterling. 1-0 on the night, 5-4 aggregate.
They scored again in the thirty-eighth through Agüero. 2-0 on the night, 5-5 aggregate. Away goals would decide it.
Monaco needed to score.
In the forty-first minute, Ethan delivered.
A counter-attack. Moutinho won the ball in midfield. Played to Mbappé. Mbappé drove forward, drew three defenders, and slipped a pass to Ethan on the left.
One-on-one with the goalkeeper. Time slowed. Ethan saw the keeper shifting his weight. Saw the near post opening. Executed perfectly.
Bottom corner. 1-2 on the night, 6-5 aggregate.
Crucial away goal.
City pushed for more. Dominated possession. Created chances. But couldn't score again.
Final whistle. Monaco through to the quarter-finals.
At seventeen, Ethan Loki had scored at the Etihad and eliminated Manchester City from the Champions League.
April 12 - Champions League Quarter-Final, First LegMonaco vs Borussia Dortmund
The Yellow Wall. Eighty thousand fans in Dortmund's Signal Iduna Park. One of Europe's most intimidating atmospheres.
Dortmund had their own young stars—Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Ousmane Dembélé, Marco Reus. This was a clash of young, dynamic teams.
The match was incredible. Monaco scored first through Mb appé in the eighteenth minute. Dortmund equalized through Aubameyang. Monaco went ahead again through Bernardo Silva. Dortmund equalized again through Reus.
2-2 at halftime.
In the sixty-seventh minute, Ethan scored what would become one of his most famous goals.
Receiving the ball thirty-five meters from goal, surrounded by two defenders, he did the impossible: a Lavinho double elastico followed by a roulette turn, leaving both defenders on the ground, then a curling shot with the outside of his left foot that flew into the top corner.
Pure genius. Pure magic.
The Yellow Wall fell silent. Even Dortmund fans applauded. That was art.
3-2 Monaco. They held on.
April 19 - Champions League Quarter-Final, Second LegBorussia Dortmund vs Monaco
Dortmund came to Monaco needing to win. They attacked relentlessly.
Aubameyang scored in the third minute. 1-0, 3-3 aggregate.
But Monaco responded through Mbappé in the seventeenth. 1-1, 4-3 aggregate.
Dortmund equalized through Dembélé. 2-1, 4-4 aggregate.
The match went to extra time. Both teams exhausted.
In the one hundred and sixth minute, Ethan won it.
A counter-attack. Fabinho won the ball. Played to Ethan. He drove forward, beat one defender, then another, then shot from twenty-five meters.
Top corner. Unstoppable.
3-1 on the night, 5-4 aggregate.
Monaco into the semi-finals.
May 2 - Champions League Semi-Final, First LegMonaco vs Juventus
The semi-finals. Two matches from the final.
Juventus—Italian champions, defensive masters, Gianluigi Buffon in goal.
The match at Stade Louis II was tactical chess. Juventus defended deep, disciplined, organized. Monaco couldn't find space.
0-0 at halftime.
In the sixty-ninth minute, Ethan broke the deadlock.
A corner kick. He lost his marker, timing his run perfectly. Met the ball at the near post with a glancing header.
Buffon got a hand to it but couldn't keep it out.
1-0.
Juventus equalized through Gonzalo Higuaín in the eighty-third. 1-1.
Not ideal, but Monaco had an away goal.
May 9 - Champions League Semi-Final, Second LegJuventus vs Monaco
The Juventus Stadium. Forty thousand fans. The atmosphere was electric.
Juventus attacked from the start. They needed to win. Monaco defended deep, compact, disciplined—learning from Juventus' own tactics.
Juve scored in the twenty-ninth minute through Paulo Dybala. 1-0 on the night, 2-1 aggregate.
Monaco needed an away goal.
In the sixty-first minute, they got it.
A counter-attack. Mendy won the ball. Drove forward. Crossed to Mbappé. The striker controlled, turned, and was brought down in the box.
Penalty.
Ethan stepped up. Facing Buffon—one of the greatest goalkeepers ever.
He struck it confidently. Bottom left corner. Buffon dove the right way but couldn't reach it.
1-1 on the night, 2-2 aggregate. Monaco ahead on away goals.
They defended for twenty-nine agonizing minutes. Juventus threw everything forward. Hit the post. Forced incredible saves from Subašić.
But they couldn't score.
Final whistle.
Monaco were in the Champions League final.
End of Chapter 19