Psg Vs Monaco: Holders Survive Late Scare to Reach Champions League Last 16
Paris St-Germain progressed to the Champions League last 16 after a 2-2 draw with Monaco that left the tie 5-4 on aggregate. The game swung on a 58th-minute red card for Mamadou Coulibaly and immediate goals from Marquinhos and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, with Jordan Teze's stoppage-time strike only narrowing the gap.
Mamadou Coulibaly sending-off alters match trajectory
Mamadou Coulibaly was dismissed in the 58th minute after receiving a second yellow card, the second caution coming just three minutes after his first booking. The dismissal followed a late challenge on Achraf Hakimi that earned the Romanian referee a second yellow and left Monaco reduced to 10 men — mirroring an earlier pattern in the tie when Monaco also played a period a man down in the first leg.
Maghnes Akliouche gives Monaco interval lead
Monaco opened the scoring just before half-time when Mamadou Coulibaly threaded a pass through to Maghnes Akliouche, who finished first-time into the bottom corner; the effort deflected in off the post. Earlier in the half Akliouche had created another chance when he played a fine ball into the box that left Coulibaly with an opportunity, though that effort flew high over the bar.
Marquinhos and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia capitalise after the red
The red card proved the catalyst for PSG. From the free-kick, play was worked short to Desire Doue on the right and his low cross was turned in by Marquinhos to level the tie almost immediately. Eight minutes later, in the 66th minute, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia fired in from close range after Achraf Hakimi's powerful strike was parried by goalkeeper Philipp Koehn, converting the loose ball to make it 2-1 on the night and swing the aggregate back in PSG's favour.
Jordan Teze consolation and late Monaco pressure
In stoppage time substitute Jordan Teze turned in a deflected Simon Adingra centre to make the score 2-2 on the night, firing into the bottom corner, but it proved only a consolation as PSG’s aggregate lead held at 5-4. Monaco continued to press in the closing moments; Wout Faes came close to adding another, and the host side nearly forced extra time before the final whistle.
Sebastien Pocognoli's Monaco setup and first-leg context
Monaco coach Sebastien Pocognoli had set his team up in a 5-3-1-1 formation with Akliouche supporting central striker Folarin Balogun. The first leg in the principality had ended 3-2 to PSG, a game in which Monaco also saw a player sent off early in the second half. That first-leg result saw Monaco at one stage lead 2-0 inside 18 minutes of that match, and Balogun had scored twice in that encounter.
Broader implications for PSG under Luis Enrique
The defending European champions will now discover on Friday, at the 11: 00 GMT knockout draw, who they face in the last 16 and the path potentially all the way to the final in Budapest; Chelsea or Barcelona are the immediate possible opponents mentioned among the next-round scenarios. What makes this notable is how quickly the momentum shifted after the red card: a disciplinary action directly produced a set-piece sequence that became the turning point for PSG’s comeback and eventual aggregate success.
Additional match details underline Monaco's strong moments despite the defeat: Matfei Safonov had to tip over a Balogun chip, Bradley Barcola struck the bar for PSG in the first half, and substitute Teze’s late goal arrived only after intense pressure. Monaco sit eighth in Ligue 1 and are 20 points behind leaders PSG, having beaten the Parisians in November. The principality side had not won a Champions League knockout tie since their run to the semi-finals in 2017 featuring a teenage Kylian Mbappé.
PSG were without last season's Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele because of a calf injury. The defending champions had notable recent meetings with potential rivals: they beat Barcelona 2-1 away during the league phase in October, have met the Catalans in five knockout ties since 2013, and played Chelsea in the Club World Cup final last year, losing 3-0.
Match momentum — measured by comparing each team’s most dangerous moments and the swing in team threat minute-by-minute — reflected Monaco's early control and PSG’s decisive advantage after the 58th-minute sending-off. Ultimately Paris St-Germain advanced to the last 16, edging the tie 5-4 on aggregate after a dramatic second leg in which discipline, quick transitions and clinical finishing determined the outcome of the psg vs monaco encounter.
