(Corrects paragraph 15 to say PSG fans unfurled a banner in support of Hakimi during the match not before kickoff)
PARIS, Feb 25 : Holders Paris St Germain edged into the Champions League’s last 16 after a 2-2 home draw with 10-man Monaco in the second leg of their knockout-round playoff on Wednesday, advancing 5-4 on aggregate from a tense tie that went right to the wire.
Monaco took the lead on the stroke of halftime through Maghnes Akliouche, but after Mamadou Coulibaly was sent off, PSG took immediate advantage to equalise through Marquinhos in the 60th minute and then went ahead six minutes later through Khvicha Kvaratskhelia.
But Monaco set up a furious finish when substitute Jordan Teze scored from Simon Adingra’s cross to make it 2-2 in stoppage time and Wout Faes missed a last-gasp chance to force the game into extra time as a glancing header went wide.
PSG will next month meet either Barcelona or Chelsea in the last 16.
It was another testing game for the Parisians against familiar Ligue 1 opposition, and Monaco might have taken a surprise lead inside the opening 10 minutes when Akliouche, back from a hip injury, set up Coulibaly, who missed from close range.
Four minutes before halftime, Bradley Barcola hit an angled effort onto the Monaco crossbar, which was PSG’s first real chance, but in stoppage time before the break, Akliouche scored with a shot that went in off the upright.
Caio Henrique showed some skill to get past Warren Zaire-Emery and crossed inside, where Coulibaly played a clever short pass to Akliouche to hand Monaco the halftime lead.
GAME TURNS AFTER MONACO DISMISSAL
Monaco, who are 20 points behind PSG in the French league standings, went down to 10 men in the 58th minute when Coulibaly caught Hakimi late and was issued a second caution, four minutes after his first.
The resultant free kick saw Vitinha go to the byline and hit the ball across the face of goal with captain Marquinhos getting ahead of defender Faes to touch in from less than a metre out.
A set piece led to the home side’s second goal in the 66th minute with fullback Achraf Hakimi firing in a shot from 20 metres out that Monaco goalkeeper Philipp Kohn parried into the path of Kvaratskhelia.
Monaco almost fashioned a comeback out of nothing as Teze’s equaliser a minute into stoppage time suddenly raised the tension. Two minutes later a free kick came tantalisingly close to being turned into the PSG goal, but Faes did not get enough on his header to find the back of the net.
“At the end, when they scored, we felt stressed and it was scary,” said PSG’s Desire Doue, who scored twice in the first leg.
“The objective is to dominate the whole match, but you also have to know how to come back from behind. Next time, we’ll try not to concede a goal, that’s important.”
PSG supporters chanted Hakimi’s name and unfurled a banner during the match with the words “Achraf Total Support”.
The Morocco captain confirmed on social media on Tuesday he is facing trial for rape. The Nanterre prosecutor’s office opened an investigation in 2023 after an allegation was made against the 27-year-old. He denies the allegation.
(Writing by Mark Gleeson in Cape Town; Editing by Toby Davis)
