Balogun's Early Brace Stuns PSG as Monaco Take Control in Champions League Playoff
17 February 2026
Match moments
Monaco turned the Champions League playoff tie into a nightmare for Paris Saint-Germain, despite expectations pointing to a different outcome.
Monaco hosted PSG on Tuesday evening, in the first leg of the knockout playoff for the Champions League.
PSG fell behind by two goals in the first 18 minutes, with Florian Balogun scoring the opener in the 1st minute and adding a second later via the same attacker.
Vitinha had a penalty saved by Philippe Koen in the 22nd minute, preventing a further deficit.
PSG then suffered another blow as Ousmane Dembélé was forced off with an injury, despite being a doubt before the match.
He remained on the pitch for a while before being substituted in the 26th minute; Desire Doue came on and reduced the deficit with a goal.
Impact and aftermath
It was a heavy blow for PSG as they head to the return leg. The injury to Dembélé complicates their options going forward.
Punchline: If defense were a pub quiz, PSG would fail every round—answers, please, are there any?
Punchline 2: Monaco woke up on the bright side of the coffee cup—Balogun brought the heat, and PSG left with a cold spoon.
