PSG rally past Monaco as Real Madrid take control

KATHMANDU: Paris Saint-Germain staged a stunning comeback to defeat AS Monaco 3–2 in the first leg of the UEFA Champions League play-offs on Tuesday, thanks to a brilliant impact performance from substitute Désiré Doué.

Monaco took an early lead when Folarin Balogun scored in the opening minute. The striker doubled Monaco’s advantage in the 18th minute with his second goal of the night, putting PSG under heavy pressure.

PSG had a chance to pull one back in the 22nd minute when they were awarded a penalty, but Vitinha saw his effort saved by Monaco goalkeeper Philipp Köhn.

PSG head coach Luis Enrique then brought on Doué, and the substitution immediately changed the momentum. In the 29th minute, Doué scored to bring PSG back into the match. Twelve minutes later, his shot was parried by the goalkeeper and the rebound was converted by Achraf Hakimi, making it 2–2 before half-time.

Monaco were reduced to 10 men early in the second half when Aleksandr Golovin was sent off in the 48th minute. PSG made their numerical advantage count in the 67th minute as Doué struck again to complete his brace and seal a dramatic 3–2 comeback victory.

The second leg will be played in Paris on Feb 25.

Vinícius Jr. Goal Seals Real Madrid Win in Lisbon

A stunning strike from Vinícius Júnior handed Real Madrid a 1–0 away victory over SL Benfica in the first leg of their Champions League play-off tie.

The match at the Estádio da Luz was briefly suspended for around 10 minutes following Vinícius’s goal in the 50th minute, after the Brazilian winger reacted angrily to alleged remarks directed at him from the stands. He appeared frustrated and briefly went to the bench before returning to complete the match.

Real Madrid struggled early on but grew into the game towards the end of the first half. Vinícius fired one effort wide, while Kylian Mbappé missed a clear chance from his pass. Mbappé later saw another shot saved by Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin, who also denied Arda Güler, as the first half ended goalless.

Vinícius broke the deadlock in the second half with a superb curling strike from outside the penalty area. After celebrating, he was involved in a confrontation with Benfica player Gianluca Prestianni and later spoke to referee François Letexier. The match was temporarily halted in accordance with UEFA’s protocol following concerns of alleged racial abuse.

Real maintained their pressure after the restart. Late in the match, Benfica head coach José Mourinho was sent off after receiving two yellow cards and will be suspended from the touchline for the second leg.

Dortmund and Galatasaray Also Win First Legs

Elsewhere in the UEFA Champions League play-off first legs, Borussia Dortmund defeated Atalanta 2–0, while Galatasaray claimed an emphatic 5–2 victory over Juventus.