Tag: Monaco

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) came from behind and then survived a late scare against 10-man Monaco, drawing 2-2 in the second leg of their Champions League knockout phase play-off tie on Wednesday to reach the last 16 with a 5-4 aggregate victory.

The defending European champions recovered 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, and Wout Faes then missed a great chance, 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.

While PSG’s dream of retaining the title remains alive, Monaco go out in the play-offs for the second season running.

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

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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.

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 Folarin Balogun chip was tipped over by Matfei Safonov.

Bradley Barcola struck the bar for PSG, who were missing the injured Ousmane Dembele, but Monaco had been the better team and took a deserved lead just before half-time.

Caio Henrique’s ball into the middle from the left found Coulibaly, and he laid it off for Akliouche to slot in.

The tie was now all square, but it swung back in the way of the defending champions when Coulibaly was sent off just before the hour, leaving his team a man short, like in the first leg when Aleksandr Golovin saw red.

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

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

The momentum was now with PSG, and they went ahead 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 Faes very nearly scored another.

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Kylian Mbappe struck twice against his former side Monaco as Real Madrid romped to an emphatic 6-1 Champions League victory on Tuesday to ease tensions around the club.

Vinicius Junior, who was jeered by his own fans during a home win over Levante last weekend, also shone and scored a brilliant goal as Madrid strengthened their bid to claim a top-eight finish in the league phase.

New coach Alvaro Arbeloa secured a second win at the helm after replacing Xabi Alonso last week, with his team producing a dazzling attacking display to help fans forget recent disappointments.

Jude Bellingham and Franco Mastantuono were also on target for Los Blancos, and Thilo Kehrer bundled a Vinicius cross into his own net as Madrid delivered perhaps their best performance of the season.

“The players won this game, with their effort and their quality,” Arbeloa told Movistar, after the record 15-time champions moved provisionally second in the league phase table.

“I loved their attitude and their quality, this mentality and ambition are what all Madrid fans want to see.”

There were still a few boos for Vinicius at the start, but they dried as he reminded Madrid’s fans how good he can be.

“The last few days have been very complicated, for all of us, but above all for me because of the whistles, and everyone speaking about me,” said Vinicius.

“I try to give everything for this shirt and for the club who have given me so much.”

Mbappe has been in superb form even as Madrid have struggled and stretched his lead at the top of the European goalscoring charts with his 10th and 11th goals to give his team a commanding lead.

After missing the Copa del Rey humiliation by Albacete in Arbeloa’s disastrous first game, Mbappe has netted in the next two matches.

It took just five minutes for the French superstar to open the scoring, slotting home from just inside the area after Fede Valverde knocked on Mastantuono’s cut-back.

After celebrating with his team-mates, Mbappe apologised to the visiting supporters, having first emerged into the world’s spotlight while at Monaco.

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Ansu Fati, on loan at Monaco from Madrid’s rivals Barcelona, came close before Arbeloa’s side struck again.

They launched a devastating counter-attack, with Eduardo Camavinga’s clever flick to Arda Guler sparking the move. Guler found Vinicius, who span the ball across for Mbappe, just onside, to tuck home.

Despite being shredded defensively, Monaco offered some attacking threat, and Jordan Teze hit the crossbar with a well-guided long-range effort.

Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois also made a couple of solid saves before the break, with Madrid’s third coming shortly after the action resumed.

Vinicius, heavily involved, unselfishly teed up former River Plate playmaker Mastantuono, who swept home.

After 55 minutes, Madrid had four, with Kehrer turning Vinicius’s raking low cross into his own net as Monaco crumbled.

Arbeloa has only had words of praise for Vinicius since taking over, and the forward rewarded his coach with a hug after ramming in the fifth.

Vinicius fired into the top corner past helpless goalkeeper Philipp Kohn for only his second goal in his last 19 matches for the club.

“This is my Vinicius,” said Real midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni. “When we play well, the people who come here are very happy. Today was a very good night here in the Bernabeu.”

Teze pulled one back for Monaco after a mistake by Dani Ceballos, before Madrid struck again to round off the rout.

Bellingham rounded the goalkeeper to net in the 80th minute after Dean Huijsen cleverly dummied Valverde’s pass.

The England international celebrated by chugging several imaginary drinks, an apparent riposte to claims he is fond of the nightlife in Spain, while Madrid’s heavy win offered their own response to the turbulent period they are in.

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Former France midfielder Paul Pogba, who wants to resume his career after a doping ban, said on French television on Sunday he is “talking” with a club, which sources close to him said was Monaco.

The 32-year-old also said he had re-established contact with his brother Mathias, sentenced to a year in prison last December for his involvement in a plot to extort 13 million euros ($15 million) from the 2018 World Cup winner.

Pogba, who played for Manchester United and Juventus, is hoping to put three chaotic years behind him.

Pogba suffered through repeated injuries and patchy form that led to his departure from United in 2022. He returned for a second stint at Juventus, where his problems continued.

He failed a drugs test after a game in Italy in August 2023 and was handed a four-year doping ban, which was reduced 18 months on appeal. It ended in March.

“It was very, very hard,” he said.

He said he was “talking” to a club, which multiple sources said was Ligue 1 Monaco.

Pogba said he was determined “to get back on the pitch, mentally ready, physically ready, it’s just a matter of time”.

The extortion case involving six men linked to Paul Pogba shocked France because the perpetrators included three childhood friends and his own brother.

The five other defendants were found guilty of extortion, kidnapping and detention, as well as participation in a criminal association, and sentenced to up to eight years in prison. All six were also fined.

Paul Pogba said he was talking to Mathias who is being allowed to serve his sentence wearing an electronic bracelet rather than behind bars.

“We are in contact. We’ve spoken, among ourselves, with the family,” Paul Pogba said. “It’s a blood bond. There was a scar, of course. We’re moving forward. Only time can give us answers.”

“All we want is to always be united as a family. That’s the most important thing. It’s hard. Of course it’s very hard, I’m not going to lie. I was hurt. It’s not the same as before, but we’re in touch,” he added.

Paul Pogba was held at gunpoint in 2022 by two hooded men who demanded money.

He said on Sunday that he was initially willing to pay but “afterwards, I cracked,” he said, deciding “to speak out, even if it meant dying” and refusing “to throw away my money like that”.

He said the ban and the court case had changed him

“I learned a lot during this period,” Pogba said. “I did a lot of cleaning around myself too. I am also much closer to my family, my children.”

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