Doue inspires PSG to comeback Champions League win in Monaco
Paris Saint-Germain bounced back from a disastrous opening as Desire Doue led a stunning recovery from a two-goal deficit to defeat Monaco 3-2 in the principality during the first leg of their Champions League knockout play-off on Tuesday.
USA forward Folarin Balogun struck first after only 55 seconds and netted again on 18 minutes to give Monaco the upper hand over their Ligue 1 opponents at Stade Louis II.
Vitinha squandered an opportunity for the current European title holders to pull one back when his spot-kick was stopped, and last seasons Ballon dOr recipient Ousmane Dembele limped off injured before the 30-minute mark, yet his substitute Doue ignited the turnaround.
He found the target and assisted Achraf Hakimi for the levelling goal just prior to half-time, and Monaco saw Aleksandr Golovin dismissed right at the second halves beginning. Doue then sealed the victory on 67 minutes.
He is an exceptional talent and a unique presence. I am delighted for him as he earned this moment, PSG manager Luis Enrique said to Canal Plus.
There is expectation on us to succeed and we thrive under it, but matches feature tough spells that test our resolve, he continued.
This outcome maintains interest in the second leg in Paris next Wednesday, though PSG now hold firm favourites status to advance to the round of 16.
Entering this fixture, they had lost their Ligue 1 lead over the weekend after falling to Rennes, allowing Lens to take the top position.
Still, they lead Monaco by a substantial 20 points, with the latter stuck in eighth place owing to their struggles in maintaining form.
All the same, Monaco impressively drew with Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Juventus on home soil in the European league stage and also triumphed 1-0 against PSG in Ligue 1 back in November.
Balogun double, Dembele injury
On this occasion, they took the lead when Balogun nodded in from near range off a Golovin delivery for the quickest goal PSG has ever allowed in a European match.
Monaco were flying high as they made it two with Balogun linking up swiftly with Maghnes Akliouche before breaking clear to beat custodian Matfei Safonov.
An upset seemed possible, putting PSGs championship hopes at risk, especially after Vitinha saw his penalty repelled by Philipp Koehn following a foul on Khvicha Kvaratskhelia by Wout Faes.
This marked the fourth failed penalty from PSGs last five in the Champions League, and complications mounted as Dembele, who was questionable before kick-off and has endured a season plagued by injuries, was forced to exit.
However, his departure proved fortuitous, with Doue stepping in and making an immediate profound difference.
The key figure in PSGs 5-0 thrashing of Inter Milan in the previous seasons final had been on just two minutes when he settled Bradley Barcolas pass inside the area and rifled a left-footed effort low into the opposite corner.
The equaliser arrived four minutes before the break as a Doue effort was pushed away by Koehn, allowing Hakimi to tame the rebound and slot home.
Monacos hold on the contest slipped away within three minutes of the interval when Russian midfielder Golovin received a red card after a VAR review of his tackle on Vitinha, handing PSG numerical superiority.
The away side capitalised as Warren Zaire-Emery fed the ball to Doue for his brace of the evening, putting the score at 3-2 during the second periods latter stages.
I simply fulfilled my role. We are satisfied since victory matters most in such encounters, Doue shared with Canal Plus.
PSG aim to wrap up the series next week, where the victors will meet either Barcelona or Chelsea in the subsequent stage.
Monaco face a steep challenge ahead, yet they may feel somewhat comforted travelling to Paris with only a single-goal disadvantage after competing short-handed for much of the game.