Substitute Desire Doue inspired holders Paris Saint-Germain to a stunning comeback victory over 10-man AS Monaco in the first leg of their Champions League knockout play-off.
Left out of the starting XI by head coach Luis Enrique at the Stade Louis II, Doue replaced Ousmane Dembele midway through the first half with PSG trailing by two goals. The 20-year-old forward turned the game on its head, scoring twice and helping set up Achraf Hakimi’s equaliser as PSG secured a crucial win in the first European clash between the two French sides.
Monaco, who had beaten PSG at the same venue in Ligue 1 in November, made a dream start. Folarin Balogun nodded in from close range inside the opening minute after meeting Aleksandr Golovin’s cross. Balogun struck again in the 18th minute, racing clear to slot beyond Matvey Safonov for his 10th goal of the season.
PSG were handed a route back into the contest when Wout Faes brought down Khvicha Kvaratskhelia in the box. However, Vitinha, who had missed from the spot against Newcastle United last month, saw his penalty saved by Philipp Kohn.
Doue quickly made his mark, firing in off the post from a tight angle in the 29th minute to halve the deficit. Just before half-time, his long-range effort was parried into Hakimi’s path, and the defender lashed home a half-volley for his first Champions League goal of the campaign.
Monaco’s task became tougher moments after the restart when Golovin was sent off for a reckless challenge on Vitinha. Initially shown a yellow card, the referee upgraded the decision to red following a VAR review.
PSG capitalised on their numerical advantage in the 67th minute. Warren Zaire-Emery set up Doue for his second of the night, completing the turnaround and making him the first PSG substitute to score at least twice in a Champions League match since October 2019.
The second leg will be played in Paris on Wednesday, 25 February (20:00 GMT).
