SOCCER: PSG see off late Monaco surge to advance in Champions League

PARIS – Paris St Germain held on to reach the Champions League last 16 after a dramatic 2-2 draw at home against 10-man Monaco in the second leg of their knockout playoff on Wednesday, advancing 5-4 on aggregate.

Monaco took the lead just before halftime through Maghnes Akliouche. But after Mamadou Coulibaly was sent off, PSG quickly responded. Marquinhos equalized in the 60th minute, and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia put the home side ahead six minutes later.

The tension peaked in stoppage time when substitute Jordan Teze scored from Simon Adingra’s cross to level the match. Monaco’s Wout Faes missed a last-gasp chance to send the game into extra time, his header going wide.

PSG will face either Barcelona or Chelsea in the last 16 next month.

The game was another test for PSG against familiar Ligue 1 rivals. Monaco nearly shocked the hosts early on, with Akliouche setting up Coulibaly, who missed a close-range effort. Four minutes before halftime, PSG’s Bradley Barcola struck the crossbar, but just before the break, Akliouche scored to give Monaco the lead.

Game Turns After Monaco Red Card

Monaco, 20 points behind PSG in Ligue 1, was reduced to 10 men in the 58th minute when Coulibaly received a second yellow card for a late tackle on Achraf Hakimi. PSG capitalized immediately, with Marquinhos scoring from Vitinha’s cross.

PSG doubled their lead in the 66th minute after a set piece, with Hakimi firing a shot that Monaco keeper Philipp Kohn parried into Kvaratskhelia’s path.

Monaco nearly pulled off a late comeback with Teze’s stoppage-time equalizer, and a free kick moments later came close to beating PSG again, but Faes couldn’t convert.

“At the end, when they scored, we felt stressed and it was scary,” PSG’s Desire Doue said, who scored twice in the first leg. “The objective is to dominate the whole match, but you also have to know how to come back from behind. Next time, we’ll try not to concede a goal, that’s important.”

PSG fans showed support for Hakimi during the match, chanting his name and displaying a banner reading “Achraf Total Support.” The Morocco captain confirmed on social media that he is facing a rape trial after an investigation opened in 2023. He denies the allegation.

-Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Toby Davis/Reuters