Monaco co-owner Prince Albert admits he asked Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger to "be kind" to his side last night, but never expected to be walking away from the Emirates Stadium with a 3-1 victory.
Arsenal were stunned as Monaco surged into a 2-0 lead by the 53rd minute in London, with the Gunners' hopes of a comeback, coming via a late Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain goal, then snuffed out as the Ligue 1 side scored again.
Prince Albert was jumping for joy and admits he so feared the clash against Arsenal that he asked Wenger, a former Monaco manager, to be kind to his old team.
"I never thought I would see this scoreline here. But it's deserved", the prince told UEFA.
"A draw would have been great for us", he further admitted.
relatedNewsStory
"Before the game I met Arsene and asked him to be kind to us.
"I'm sort of sad for him, for us to have stolen the show."
Monaco will now bid to seal a spot in the quarter-finals when Arsenal visit the Stade Louis II to play the tie's second leg next month.
The Gunners have not written off their chances of staging a comeback, but facing having to breach one of the meanest defensive units in Europe three times in order to have any chance of turning the tables on Monaco.
Leonardo Jardim's side also have the joint-best defensive record in the French top flight this term.
Like betting on football? Check out our sister site Inside Bet. Free bet offers, betting tips, betting facts. Visit Inside Bet.
