AS Monaco answered their critics in the most satisfying way possible on Saturday, November 29, by knocking off Paris Saint-Germain with grit, nerve and a well-timed moment of brilliance. A single goal proved enough to bring down the European champions at a packed Stade Louis-II, sealing a 1–0 win that feels larger than the scoreline suggests.
Just days after a draining Champions League trip to Cyprus, Monaco returned home needing a performance with backbone. Up against a Paris side whose trophy cabinet is still warm from last season, they delivered exactly that. Sébastien Pocognoli stuck with his 4-2-3-1 blueprint, reshuffling his midfield to cope with suspensions, and his side responded with the sort of unity coaches dream about.
The match opened at a lively pace, early chances falling to Mohammed Salisu and Fabian Ruiz before both goalkeepers were forced into work. Monaco’s Aleksandr Golovin curled wide, PSG’s Kvaratskhelia curled back, and Takumi Minamino drew the first genuine roar of the night with a stinging volley that demanded sharp handling from Lucas Chevalier. At the other end, Hradecký — increasingly looking like Monaco’s signing of the season — kept out Lee and Kvaratskhelia in quick succession.
By half-time it felt like the sort of match destined to be decided by a mistake or a moment of clarity. Salisu came closest before the interval, first shaving the post, then finding the net only to have VAR ruin the celebration. It was a warning for Paris that Monaco were far from intimidated.
The breakthrough arrived in the 68th minute, carved with the precision the home crowd had been begging for. Golovin sliced open the defence with a low cutback, Minamino arrived like a man late for a train, and one composed finish later Louis-II was shaking. Three goals in a week for the Japanese midfielder — timely, tidy, and very much deserved.
The final ten minutes were not for the faint-hearted. A red card left Monaco defending with nine lives and only one goal to protect, but despite free-kicks, volleys and seven agonising minutes of added time, PSG were kept firmly outside the palace gates. Hradecký, unflappable, stamped out Vitinha’s last-gasp effort to seal the upset.
After nearly two years without a league win over Paris, Monaco finally cracked the code again — not by out-flairing the champions, but by out-fighting them. The victory puts wind back in their sails ahead of a tricky trip to Brest next Friday. If this was a statement, it was delivered loudly: Monaco are very much alive in the fight.
