Monaco overcomes PSG prior to key Champions League encounter with Chelsea
Folarin Balogun, a prominent figure for the US national team, featured among the goal scorers as Monaco secured a 3-1 triumph over Paris Saint-Germain on Friday. This outcome represents a significant setback for the Parisian outfit ahead of their vital Champions League round of 16 matchup against Chelsea.
Maghnes Akliouche opened the scoring for Monaco in the first half at the Parc des Princes, while Aleksandr Golovin extended their lead shortly after the interval in this Ligue 1 fixture.
Bradley Barcola managed to reduce the deficit for the defending European champions, yet Balogun quickly restored the two-goal margin with his fifth strike in the past five outings, helping Monaco to a valuable victory in their push for European qualification next term.
The team from the principality aimed to settle the score following a 5-4 aggregate loss to PSG in the Champions League playoff round last month, where they relinquished a two-goal advantage, falling 3-2 in the opening leg and managing only a 2-2 stalemate in the second.
This progression enabled Luis Enriques squad to advance to the last 16, and now they must defend their crown versus Chelsea, starting with the home fixture in Paris on Wednesday and the away leg on March 17.
For PSG, this represents a pivotal series, having claimed their inaugural Champions League title last season, prior to a 3-0 defeat by Chelsea in the Club World Cup decider.
"This is hardly an ideal preparation for the Champions League. We recognise as much," remarked Luis Enrique.
"Facing a side in such strong form as Monaco while performing poorly comes at a cost."
The defeat hampers PSGs pursuit of a fifth straight Ligue 1 crown, allowing nearest rivals Lens to narrow the gap at the summit from four points to just one if they overcome struggling Metz on Sunday.
This marks PSGs fourth Ligue 1 reversal in 25 matches this campaign, equalling their total losses across the previous two seasons combined.
Across all tournaments, they have suffered seven defeats in the 2025/26 season so far, including four already this year.
Luis Enrique may worry about the distance between his current team and the exceptional performances that propelled them to Champions League glory in the latter stages of last term.
"We are undoubtedly struggling right now, but we must hold onto optimism for improvement," he continued. "Confidence cannot simply be purchased off the shelf."
Dembele makes comeback
A bright spot was the recent injury recovery of Ousmane Dembele, last years Ballon dOr recipient, who entered as a substitute during the second half.
That said, he has only started 14 of PSGs 40 games this season, leaving uncertainty over his durability against Chelsea.
Monaco deserved their success, taking the lead just shy of the 30-minute mark.
Warren Zaire-Emery of PSG lost control in his penalty area, allowing the ball to fall to Balogun, who laid it off for the French international Akliouche to convert.
The home side squandered chances with poor delivery, but Golovin demonstrated precision on 55 minutes, latching onto a misplaced pass from Vitinha and slotting home with a composed first-time shot using his initial touch after replacing a teammate.
PSG responded on 71 minutes as Achraf Hakimi assisted Barcola for his 10th goal of the campaign, a deflected first-time strike off Jordan Teze that evaded Monaco goalkeeper Philipp Koehn at the near post.
Nevertheless, Monaco halted any momentum, with Balogun rifling in from range, the effort grazing Nuno Mendes en route to goal.
This marked the forwards 13th contribution across competitions this season, and he is poised for a starring role with co-hosts the United States at the World Cup.
Monaco have triumphed in five and shared points in two of their most recent seven Ligue 1 encounters, positioning them fifth in the standings.
"I take great pride in the squads effort," stated Monaco manager Sebastien Pocognoli. "We sense a genuine surge of positive energy."