In a thrilling UEFA Champions League knockout play-off first leg on Tuesday night, Paris Saint-Germain delivered a stunning comeback to beat AS Monaco 3-2 away at Stade Louis II, thanks to a match-turning performance from teenage substitute Désiré Doué.
Monaco stunned the defending European champions emphatically from the first whistle, as Folarin Balogun headed in inside the opening minute and then doubled his tally before the 20-minute mark to put the hosts firmly in control early on.
PSG’s hopes looked to be fading further when Vitinha had a penalty saved and superstar winger Ousmane Dembélé was forced off with an injury before half-time.
However, Luis Enrique’s tactical switch proved decisive. Doué, brought on in the first half, ignited PSG’s response.
He pulled one back with a fine finish and then turned provider for Achraf Hakimi, whose equaliser just before the break levelled the tie at 2-2.
The turning point came early in the second half when Monaco’s Aleksandr Golovin received a straight red card following a VAR review, leaving the Ligue 1 outfit with ten men.
PSG seized the advantage, and Doué made the numerical superiority count by grabbing his second of the night midway through the second half to seal a dramatic 3-2 victory.
At just 20, Doué’s impact was huge — becoming just the second PSG player to score more than once as a substitute in Champions League history, a feat previously achieved by Kylian Mbappé in 2019.
The win gives PSG a crucial advantage ahead of the return leg in Paris next week, but with the tie finely poised, Monaco will still believe they can overturn the deficit on home soil.
Match Facts:
Final Score: Monaco 2-3 PSG
Scorers: Balogun (1′, 18′); Doué (29′, 67′), Hakimi (41′)
Red Card: Golovin (Monaco) early second half
Désiré Doué’s heroics underscore his meteoric rise this season, building on a breakthrough campaign in Europe’s elite competition that has seen the French teen emerge as one of PSG’s brightest young talents.
