Monaco's Lightning Start: Balogun's Double Sinks PSG in Europe
17 February 2026
Early nightmare for PSG as Monaco strikes twice inside 18 minutes
The French side sparked memories of a 1950s incident involving Real Madrid.
PSG conceded a stunning opener to their fellow French club Monaco on Tuesday night in the Champions League playoff to reach the knockout phase.
Monaco needed only 55 seconds to strike, with Florian Balogun heading home a cross before the first minute was complete, while Gianluigi Donnarumma could not reach it.
According to Opta, this is PSG's fastest goal conceded in their European Cup history.
It is also Monaco's fastest ever goal in the continental competition.
French outlet StatS Fut reported PSG are the second French side to concede in the opening minute in the Champions League, after Reims who conceded to Real Madrid in June 1959.
Balogun added a second in the 18th minute, becoming Monaco's first player to score twice in a CL match since Mbappe against Dortmund in April 2017, per StatS Fut.
The same network noted PSG have conceded twice in the first 18 minutes of a CL match for the first time in their history.
Punchline 1: If PSG's defense were a sniper, the target would always be an open goal — and they would still miss.
Punchline 2: Monaco arrived with speed; PSG woke up just in time to see the scoreboard.
