monaco vs psg: Substitute Desire Doue sparks dramatic Champions League comeback
Paris Saint-Germain overturned a two-goal deficit to beat Monaco 3-2 in the first leg of their Champions League knockout play-off at the Stade Louis II. Brought on in the first half, substitute Desire Doue scored twice and played a decisive part in Achraf Hakimi's equaliser as the holders left the Principality with a slender advantage ahead of the return leg next Wednesday (ET).
Doue's instant influence turns the tie
PSG were stunned inside 60 seconds when Folarin Balogun headed home from Aleksandr Golovin's cross, and the forward doubled Monaco's lead on 18 minutes after outpacing the visitors' defence. With the visitors reeling, coach Luis Enrique replaced Ousmane Dembélé midway through the first half and Doue entered the game. The 20-year-old responded within minutes, firing in from an acute angle to halve the deficit and announce his presence.
Doue did not stop there. His follow-up shot late in the first half was parried by the Monaco goalkeeper, but Hakimi reacted quickest to redirect the rebound and level the tie just before the break. Midway through the second half, Warren Zaire-Emery teed up Doue for a composed low finish from the edge of the area that completed a remarkable turnaround. The brace took Doue's season Champions League tally to four goals and made him the first PSG substitute to score two or more goals in a Champions League match since October 2019.
Key moments: penalty, red card and an injury blow
The match swung on a handful of critical incidents. PSG were awarded a penalty after Wout Faes fouled Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in the box, but Vitinha saw his spot-kick saved by Philipp Kohn, who guessed right and kept Monaco comfortably ahead at that stage. The missed penalty left PSG needing a spark, which came in the form of the introduced youngster.
Tempers and tensions flared early in the second half when Aleksandr Golovin was shown red for a studs-up challenge on Vitinha. Initially booked, the decision was upgraded to a sending-off after the referee reviewed the incident on the pitchside monitor, leaving Monaco to play with ten men for the remainder of the contest. The numerical advantage allowed PSG to dominate territory and possession in the second half and ultimately capitalise through Doue.
The hosts also suffered a blow when their early hero Balogun could not add more to his brace, while PSG lost Dembélé to what looked like a calf problem in the first half. The Ballon d'Or winner left the field rubbing the back of his left calf and was substituted as a precaution, a frustrated note for PSG heading into the return fixture.
What the result means for the tie
PSG head to the Parc des Princes for the return leg with a one-goal advantage but also with fresh questions over injuries and finishing. Monaco will be disappointed to have relinquished a two-goal lead at home and must regroup while missing Golovin's influence after the dismissal. The narrow scoreline guarantees an intriguing second leg next Wednesday (ET), when both teams will have a chance to settle the tie.
For PSG, the evening provided both a glimpse of depth and a reminder of fragile margins in knockout football: a saved penalty and a red card almost determined the tie, yet a young substitute's impact stole the headlines and shifted momentum back in favour of the holders.
