monaco vs psg: Substitute Désiré Doué inspires PSG comeback in Champions League first leg
Paris Saint-Germain recovered from a catastrophic start to claim a 3-2 victory at Monaco in the first leg of their Champions League knockout play-off. A two-goal deficit inside 18 minutes was overturned after Luis Enrique introduced 20-year-old substitute Désiré Doué, who scored twice and played a key role in Achraf Hakimi's equaliser.
How the match unfolded
Monaco stunned the holders virtually from the first whistle. Inside 60 seconds, Folarin Balogun met Aleksandr Golovin's cross to head home from close range, giving the hosts a dream beginning at the Stade Louis II. Balogun then doubled Monaco's advantage in the 18th minute when he sprinted past the PSG back line and slotted beyond goalkeeper Matvey Safonov for his 10th goal of the season.
PSG had a chance to claw one back when Wout Faes hauled Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to the ground and a penalty was awarded, but Vitinha's spot-kick was pushed away by goalkeeper Philipp Kohn, who dived to his right to deny the midfielder. That miss seemed to compound PSG's early problems and left the visitors trailing until a tactical change shifted the contest.
Doué flips the script
Introduced midway through the first half for Ousmane Dembélé, the youngster Désiré Doué made an instant impact. Two minutes after entering the fray he cut the deficit with a low, angled drive that cannoned in off the post. The substitute's influence continued moments later when his shot from distance was parried, only for Achraf Hakimi to react and finish the rebound with a half-volley to level the score just before half-time. It was Hakimi's first Champions League goal of the season.
The tie swung decisively in PSG's favour shortly after the interval when Aleksandr Golovin was sent off. What began as a yellow card for a reckless challenge on Vitinha was upgraded to a red after the referee reviewed the incident on the pitchside monitor, leaving Monaco with ten men and under sustained pressure for much of the second half.
PSG made that advantage count. In the 67th minute Warren Zaire-Emery teed up Doué, who struck from the edge of the area to restore PSG's lead. The 20-year-old became the first PSG substitute to score two or more goals in a Champions League match since October 2019, turning what looked like a damaging night into an important first-leg win for the holders.
What this means for the tie
The result leaves PSG in a favourable position heading into the return leg in Paris next Wednesday (ET), but the narrow margin and Monaco's early showing underline that the tie is far from settled. Monaco proved dangerous on the counter and will take heart from Balogun's finishing, while PSG will be buoyed by the depth shown off the bench and the clinical response after going behind.
Key talking points from the match include Monaco's electric start, Vitinha's missed penalty, the red card that shifted momentum, and Doué's emergence as a decisive impact substitute. Both sides still have everything to play for, with the return fixture promising a tense conclusion to this knockout encounter.
