Psg Vs Monaco — Holders reach Champions League last 16 after 2-2 draw (5-4 agg)
In a night of swings and a late scare, psg vs monaco finished 2-2 as Paris St-Germain advanced 5-4 on aggregate to reach the Champions League last 16. The tie turned after Mamadou Coulibaly was sent off, and goals from Marquinhos and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia proved decisive.
Akliouche gives Monaco the lead just before half-time
Maghnes Akliouche opened the scoring for Monaco when Mamadou Coulibaly threaded a pass through to him and Akliouche's first-time finish found the bottom corner the post just before half-time. Earlier in the half Akliouche had picked out a team-mate in the box, but Coulibaly's effort from that move flew high over the bar.
Psg Vs Monaco: the red card that swung the tie
The game changed just before the hour mark when Mamadou Coulibaly was sent off. He was shown two yellow cards in three minutes; he had been booked a few minutes earlier for a foul on Nuno Mendes and then received a second yellow for a late challenge on Achraf Hakimi, the second yellow produced by a Romanian referee. The sending-off left Monaco down to 10 men, mirroring a dismissal for Aleksandr Golovin in the first leg when Monaco also had a player sent off early in the second half.
Marquinhos and Kvaratskhelia put PSG in front after the red card
PSG levelled almost immediately after the dismissal when Marquinhos turned in a low cross from Desire Doue. The visitors then took the lead on the night in the 66th minute when Khvicha Kvaratskhelia fired in from close range after Achraf Hakimi's low strike had been parried into his path by Monaco goalkeeper Philipp Kohn (spelling unclear in the provided context).
Stoppage-time drama: Teze reduces deficit as Monaco nearly forces extra time
In stoppage time substitute Jordan Teze fired into the bottom corner to make it 2-2, turning in a deflected Simon Adingra centre. Wout Faes very nearly added a further late goal, but PSG held on to advance. The aggregate scoreline finished 5-4 in PSG's favour.
How last week's first leg and broader context shaped the tie
Last week's first leg in the principality had ended 3-2, with the defending European champions coming from two behind to win; in that game Monaco also had a man sent off early in the second half. Folarin Balogun, the US national team striker, scored twice in the first leg. For the return, Monaco coach Sebastien Pocognoli set his side up in a 5-3-1-1 formation with Akliouche supporting Balogun.
Match action across the two legs included Matfei Safonov tipping over a Balogun chip and Safonov only partially clearing a cross that led to Akliouche's finish after Caio Henrique returned the ball into the middle and Coulibaly laid it off. PSG had a chance of their own when Bradley Barcola struck the bar. PSG were missing last year's Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele through a calf injury.
Monaco sit eighth in Ligue 1, 20 points behind leaders PSG, though they beat Paris in November. The principality club had not won a Champions League knockout tie since their 2017 run to the semi-finals with a side featuring a teenage Kylian Mbappe. Paris beat Barcelona 2-1 away in the league phase in October, have faced Barcelona in five knockout ties since 2013, and played Chelsea in the Club World Cup final last year, losing 3-0. PSG will discover their next opponents in the knockout draw on Friday at 11: 00 GMT, with Barcelona or Chelsea among the possible last-16 rivals as they plot a route all the way to the final in Budapest.
