Paris Saint-Germain's French midfielder #14 Desire Doue celebrates scoring his team's third goal during the UEFA Champions League knockout round play-off first leg football match between AS Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain at the Stade Louis II in the Principality of Monaco on February 17, 2026. (Photo by Valery HACHE / AFP)
Monaco: Paris Saint-Germain recovered from a shambolic start as Desire Doue inspired a comeback from two goals down to beat Monaco 3-2 in the principality in the first leg of their Champions League knockout phase play-off tie on Tuesday.
United States star Folarin Balogun opened the scoring after just 55 seconds and found the net again on 18 minutes to put Monaco in control against their French Ligue 1 rivals at the Stade Louis II.
Vitinha then missed a chance for the reigning European champions to reduce the deficit when he had a penalty saved and last year's Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele came off injured before the half-hour mark, but his replacement Doue sparked the comeback.
He pulled one back and then helped set up Achraf Hakimi for the equaliser just before the break, and Monaco then had Aleksandr Golovin sent off right at the start of the second half. Doue then scored the winner on 67 minutes.
It was a remarkable game and the result keeps the tie alive going into the return leg in Paris next Wednesday, but Luis Enrique's PSG side are now strong favourites to seal a place in the last 16 in front of their own fans.
PSG came into this game having been knocked off top spot in the French league last weekend following a defeat at Rennes, with Lens replacing them at the summit.
However, they are a huge 20 points clear of Monaco, who find themselves languishing in eighth due to an inability to put together a consistent run of form.
