AS Monaco came within touching distance of a statement victory on the evening of Tuesday, February 17 but were ultimately edged 3–2 by Paris Saint-Germain in a dramatic first leg of their Champions League play-off at the Stade Louis-II.
Backed by a packed home crowd and watched by club president Dmitry Rybolovlev, Monaco produced a fearless first-half display that stunned the French champions early on. Within a minute of kick-off, Folarin Balogun rose to meet a perfectly delivered cross from Aleksandr Golovin, powering a header past PSG goalkeeper Matvey Safonov to ignite the stadium.
Monaco doubled their advantage just 17 minutes later. Maghnes Akliouche slipped an incisive pass through the Paris defence and Balogun kept his composure to finish clinically for his second of the night. At 2–0, the Principality side looked in complete control against the tournament heavyweights.
PSG were handed a lifeline midway through the first half when they were awarded a penalty, but Philipp Köhn produced a superb save to deny Vitinha from the spot. The reprieve, however, proved temporary. Désiré Doué reduced the deficit shortly before the half-hour mark with a low strike, and the momentum began to shift.
Just before the interval, PSG drew level in fortuitous fashion. A deflected effort fell kindly for Achraf Hakimi, who reacted quickest to slot home and send the teams into the break at 2–2 despite Monaco’s blistering start.
The contest tilted decisively in the early stages of the second half when Golovin was shown a red card following a VAR review for a challenge on Vitinha. Reduced to ten men, Monaco were forced into a defensive battle as PSG pressed relentlessly.
The pressure eventually told. Doué struck again in the 67th minute, finishing off a swift attacking move to give the visitors their first lead of the evening. Monaco protested a potential handball in the PSG area shortly afterwards, but no penalty was awarded.
Despite their numerical disadvantage, the Red and Whites refused to fold. Captain Denis Zakaria went close, while Köhn was called into action repeatedly to keep the deficit to a single goal, producing crucial saves in the closing stages to preserve hope ahead of the return leg.
The final whistle confirmed a narrow 3–2 defeat, but Monaco’s spirited display against one of Europe’s elite sides leaves the tie finely poised. With the second leg to come in Paris, Pocognoli’s men will travel to the Parc des Princes believing that qualification remains within reach.