Desire Doue came off the bench to inspire holders Paris St-Germain to an impressive comeback against 10-man Monaco in the first leg of their Champions League knockout phase play-off tie.
Manager Luis Enrique started the Frenchman on the bench at the Stade Louis II, but with PSG behind by two goals halfway through the first half, he replaced Ousmane Dembele.
In the opening European encounter between the two French teams, PSG secured a significant victory thanks to the 20-year-old forward’s two goals and his contribution to Achraf Hakimi’s equalizer.
The home team, who defeated Luis Enrique’s team at the same location in a Ligue 1 match back in November, seized the lead in the first minute when Folarin Balogun headed home from close range after connecting with Aleksandr Golovin’s cross.
In the 18th minute, Balogun raced through on goal and tapped past Matvey Safonov for his 10th goal of the season, further compounding PSG’s woes against the lowest-scoring clubs of the 24 teams still in the campaign.
Four minutes later, Wout Faes bundled Khvicha Kvaratskhelia to the ground inside the area, giving PSG a lifeline from the penalty spot.
However, Vitinha was thwarted once more after missing a penalty kick against Newcastle United in the league-phase final last month. Phillip Kohn leaped down to his right to deny the midfielder’s attempt.
In the 29th minute, Doue, who had been substituted for Ballon d’Or winner Dembele two minutes earlier, gave PSG a response with a sharp-angle shot that went in off the post.
Four minutes before halftime, Hakimi scored his first Champions League goal of the year with a half-volley after the Frenchman’s shot from outside the area was palmed into his path.
Seconds after the interval, Golovin of Monaco was sent off for the second time in four days for a careless challenge on Vitinha.
After reviewing the challenge on the pitchside monitor, the referee enhanced the Russian forward’s initial yellow card.
Warren Zaire-Emery set up Doue to score past Kohn in the 67th minute, completing the turnaround for the visitors by taking advantage of the extra man. Doue became the first PSG substitute to score two goals or more in a Champions League game since October 2019.
The return match is scheduled for Wednesday, February 25, at 20:00 GMT in Paris.
