Paris Saint-Germain secured a 3-2 victory over AS Monaco in the Champions League playoff first leg on Tuesday evening at Stade Louis-II. Trailing 2-0 early, the Parisians turned the game around with a brace from substitute Désiré Doué. Alexandr Golovin's red card assisted PSG in gaining the upper hand.
The Champions League playoff first leg between AS Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain, played Tuesday evening at Stade Louis-II, ended in a 3-2 win for the Parisians. ASM started ideally with a quick brace from Folarin Balogun: the first goal in the 1st minute (exactly 55 seconds) on a pass from Alexandr Golovin, the second at the 18th minute. PSG missed a penalty taken by Vitinha at the 22nd minute, provoked by Faes.
Ousmane Dembélé was injured and replaced by Désiré Doué at the 26th minute. The latter immediately scored with his left foot at the 29th minute, narrowing the gap to 2-1. PSG equalized at the 41st minute on an action where Doué's shot was deflected by Köhn to Hakimi for 2-2.
Upon returning from halftime, Golovin was sent off at the 48th minute for a dangerous studs-up challenge on Vitinha's tibia, his second red card in four days after the one against Nantes. With numerical superiority, PSG dominated the second half but only had one shot on target out of several attempts. Doué sealed the victory at the 67th minute with a left-footed shot after a collective move, making it 3-2.
Monaco held firm, with Safonov saving Zakaria's attempt at the 69th minute and a handball by Marquinhos not called as a penalty. Missed chances followed by Lee (78th), Barcola (81st), and Neves (82nd), but the score remained unchanged. PSG, European champions, holds a favorable position for the return leg in eight days at Parc des Princes, aiming for the round of 16 against FC Barcelona or Chelsea.
