The Prague Post - PSG survive Monaco scare to reach Champions League last 16

The defending European champions came from two behind to win 3-2 in the principality in last week's first leg, a game in which Monaco had a man sent off early in the second half.

The scenario this time was similar, with French international Maghnes Akliouche giving Monaco a deserved interval lead on the night to level the scores overall.

However, the visitors had Mamadou Coulibaly sent off on 58 minutes, and that proved the catalyst for PSG to make it 1-1 through Marquinhos before Khvicha Kvaratskhelia seemed to have clinched the aggregate triumph.

Jordan Teze did make it 2-2 in stoppage time, but PSG held on to progress to the next round.

Luis Enrique's team will now find out on Friday their potential opponents all the way to the final in Budapest, with Barcelona and Chelsea their possible rivals in the last 16.

Paris beat Barcelona 2-1 away during the league phase in October and have faced the Catalans in five knockout ties since 2013. They played Chelsea in the final of the Club World Cup last year, losing 3-0 –- their only blip in a remarkable campaign.

PSG were widely expected to get the better of their domestic rivals here -- Monaco are currently eighth in Ligue 1, 20 points behind leaders PSG, although they did beat the Parisians in November.

The principality side had not won a Champions League knockout tie since their run to the semi-finals in 2017 with a side featuring a teenage Kylian Mbappe.

Here coach Sebastien Pocognoli set his side up in a 5-3-1-1 formation with Akliouche supporting central striker Folarin Balogun, the US national team star who scored twice last week.

Monaco, with just one victory on their last 10 trips to the Parc des Princes, may have felt the pressure was completely off them, and PSG were missing last year's Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele with a calf injury.

- Red card changes game -

Having been 2-0 up inside 18 minutes last week, Monaco really should have scored within 10 minutes here, but Coulibaly blazed over from an Akliouche cutback. They then came close again when a Balogun chip had to be tipped over by Matfei Safonov.

Bradley Barcola struck the bar for PSG but Monaco had been the better team and took a deserved lead just before the half-time whistle.

Safonov could only partially clear a cross into the home box and Monaco kept the pressure on as Caio Henrique returned the ball into the middle and Coulibaly laid it off for Akliouche to slot in.

The tie was now all square once again, but it swung back the way of the defending champions when Coulibaly was sent off just before the hour, leaving his team down to 10 men like in the first leg when Aleksandr Golovin saw red.

Having been booked just a few minutes earlier for a foul on Nuno Mendes, this time he was late into a challenge on Achraf Hakimi and a second yellow was produced by the Romanian referee.

PSG then scored from the resulting free-kick, which was played short to Desire Doue on the right and his low ball was turned in from close range by Marquinhos.

The momentum was now with PSG, and they took the lead on the night on 66 minutes as Hakimi's powerful strike was only parried by goalkeeper Philipp Koehn, allowing Kvaratskhelia to convert the loose ball.

Monaco still came within a whisker of forcing extra time -- substitute Teze turned in a deflected Simon Adingra centre in stoppage time to make it 2-2 and Wout Faes very nearly scored another.

Instead they go out at the play-off stage for the second season running, while PSG's dream of retaining their title remains alive.

N.Kratochvil--TPP