AFP, Monaco :
Monaco qualified for the Champions League quarter-finals, for the first time since 2004, and went through on away goals after a 3-3 aggregate result against Arsenal in a thriller at the Louis II stadium on Tuesday.
Arsene Wenger, who was returning to the club he coached between 1987 and2004, was left a frustrated figure after goals from Olivier Giroud and Aaron Ramsey were enough for a 2-0 win on the night but not enough to send the North Londoners through.
“We knew it would be very difficult to score that many goals,” a philosophic Wenger told BeIn Sport after the tie.
“We weren’t realistic enough in our approach and we should have been up by more at half-time.
“At the end of the day, we paid for our performance in the first leg.
Monaco were playing at home but didn’t have a shot on goal. We were very close but they surprised us in the first match because subconsciously we were too sure of ourselves,” added the Frenchman.
“It’s not a question of if we deserved to go through but of being realistic and we made too many errors in the first leg.
“We have to congratulate Monaco for their place in the last eight as they defended really well. They qualified so ‘Bravo’! We are on the right track and played the match we had too.
“The last three months we haven’t lacked in anything except our performance in the first leg.
“We have a superb spirit and great qualities,” added the Frenchman, who helped Monaco win the 1988 French title, the 1991 French Cup and also guided the team to the 1992 Cup Winners’ Cup final where they lost against German side Werder Bremen.
