UCL: Doué double inspires PSG comeback win at Monaco
In a 100% Ligue 1 play-off first leg at Stade Louis-II, AS Monaco raced into a two-goal lead through Folarin Balogun, only for Paris Saint-Germain to respond with composure, character – and ultimately, clinical quality.
It could not have begun worse for the visitors. Inside 57 seconds, Balogun headed Monaco in front after a swift move down the left. The American doubled the lead before the 20-minute mark, capitalising on a defensive error to leave PSG stunned.
There was more frustration to come. Vitinha saw a penalty saved by Philipp Köhn, and Ballon d’Or holder Ousmane Dembélé limped off midway through the first half. At two goals down, with a missed penalty and an injury to their star man, PSG looked on the brink.
Doué flips the script
Luis Enrique’s reaction proved decisive. Introduced in the first half, Désiré Doué transformed the contest almost instantly. On his first meaningful involvement, he fired low across Köhn to halve the deficit.
Monaco briefly threatened again, but PSG’s dominance in possession – nearly 80% at the break – began to tell. Just before half-time, Doué cut inside and unleashed a strike that Köhn could only parry into the path of Achraf Hakimi, who slammed home the equaliser.
Red card and relentless pressure
The turning point of the second half came shortly after the restart. Aleksandr Golovin, already booked, was shown a red card after a VAR review for a high challenge on Vitinha. Reduced to ten men, Monaco were forced into damage limitation.
PSG pushed and probed. Zaïre-Emery went close, João Neves flashed an effort wide, and Köhn was repeatedly called into action.
The breakthrough finally arrived midway through the second period. A slick combination involving Hakimi and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia released Zaïre-Emery inside the box. His touch found Doué, who calmly swept home his second of the night.
Doué at the double
Désiré Doué became just the second player to score 2+ goals as a substitute for Paris SG in a UEFA Champions League game after Kylian Mbappé’s hat-trick against Club Brugge in October 2019
READ MORE:
>> Monaco vs PSG: Five legendary clashes
