Champions League play-offs: PSG fight back to beat Monaco

Paris St Germain stage impressive comeback, led by Desire Doue's stellar performance, to defeat Monaco in Champions League play-offs first leg. Galatasaray, Dortmund also win.

Champions League holders Paris St Germain overcame a horror start and a two-goal deficit to beat 10-man Monaco 3-2 away in the first leg of their knockout round playoff tie on Tuesday.

Desire Doue came off the bench to engineer an impressive turnaround for PSG, who conceded a goal in the opening minute and were 2-0 down after 18 minutes as Folarin Balogun grabbed a double for the hosts.

The 20-year-old Doue replaced Ballon d'Or winner Ousmane Dembele, who went off injured after 27 minutes, and proved decisive for the visitors as he struck two superb goals plus set up one for Achraf Hakimi.

Monaco spent most of the second half down to 10 men after Aleksandr Golovin was shown a red card for a studs-up tackle that raked down the shin of Vitinha with the referee upgrading his original caution to a sending off after consulting the touchline VAR screen.

PSG are now in an advantageous position for the return leg in Paris next Wednesday as they look to progress to next month’s last 16.

However, the European champions were in all sorts of trouble after 56 seconds when their fullback Nuno Mendes had a stray cross-field pass cut out in midfield, handing Monaco a first attack with Golovin chipping for Balogun to head home from close range.

Monaco looked to be in the driving seat as Balogun netted a second goal after Maghnes Akliouche’s cleverly weighted pass allowed the American striker to outsprint PSG captain Marquinhos and score.

PSG WASTE PENALTY

Their fortunes were still looking good despite a defensive slip by Wout Faes, which led to the defender pulling back on Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and giving away a 22nd-minute penalty, but Vitinha's effort was saved by Philipp Kohn.

But the tie swung as Doue came on for Dembele and scored with his first touch in the 29th minute with a left-footed effort after being teed up by Bradley Barcola. The goal was confirmed after a VAR check denied Monaco’s claims for a foul on defender Vanderson in the buildup.

Doue's rifling shot in the 41st minute was parried away by Kohn, but Hakimi reacted quickly to pounce on the rebound and make it 2-2 before the break.

Golovin’s dismissal in the 48th minute left Monaco on the back foot as the visitors then dominated proceedings and should have had more than just the 67th-minute winner from Doue – another superbly struck shot that flew into the goal from the edge of the penalty area.

Galatasaray hammer 10-man Juventus in thriller

Galatasaray delivered a dominant performance on Tuesday to dismantle 10-man Juventus 5-2 in the first leg of their Champions League playoff, with Noa Lang and Gabriel Sara starring in a scintillating display.

The hosts took the lead in the 15th minute when Brazilian Sara struck a thunderous long-range shot that left goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio with no chance.

However, Juventus equalised almost instantly when Teun Koopmeiners reacted quickly after Pierre Kalulu's header was saved by Ugurcan Cakir, converting the rebound in the 16th minute.

The Italians edged ahead in the 32nd minute as Koopmeiners doubled his tally with a driven shot from outside the box after Weston McKennie found him.

In a growingly tense encounter, Juventus coach Luciano Spalletti received a yellow card for dissent shortly before halftime, adding to the visitors' frustration.

Galatasaray equalised just after the break when Lang slotted home a rebound from Baris Alper Yilmaz's effort. The Turkish side then regained the lead on the hour mark as Davinson Sanchez turned in a precise Sara set-piece.

Juventus' troubles mounted in the 67th minute when substitute Juan Cabal was shown a second yellow card for a reckless challenge, leaving his side to play the remainder of the match with 10 men.

Galatasaray capitalised on the numerical advantage and increased their lead in the 75th minute. Victor Osimhen produced a sublime assist, threading the ball to Lang. The Dutch winger expertly fired a right-footed shot from the centre of the box, leaving Di Gregorio rooted to the spot.

The home side added a fifth in the 86th minute. Osimhen created another chance, setting up substitute Sacha Boey, who smashed a fierce shot to seal a resounding victory for the Turkish side.

Galatasaray's win gives them a commanding advantage heading into the second leg in Turin on February 25.

Guirassy fires Dortmund to win over Atalanta

Striker Serhou Guirassy scored one goal and created another as hosts Borussia Dortmund scored a 2-0 victory over Italian visitors Atalanta in the first leg of their Champions League playoff tie on Tuesday.

The match kicked off 15 minutes late as the Dortmund team bus was caught in traffic, but they were fast out of the blocks as Guirassy put the home side in front inside three minutes with a header at the back post.

They doubled their advantage in the 42nd minute via Max Beier after he was teed up by Guirassy in a deserved victory for the German side, with Atalanta offering little in the way of a goal threat.

The return leg will be played in Bergamo next Wednesday, with the winners to meet either Arsenal or Bayern Munich in the last 16.

The victory was Dortmund’s 100th in the top European competition, and was achieved with two shots on target, which both resulted in goals.

They also saw less of the ball possession, but despite this exerted control of the contest for most of the 90 minutes.

They had the early lead as right-back Julian Ryerson, who provided four assists against Mainz 05 at the weekend, delivered another when his cross was headed in by Guirassy.

The home side added a second just before the break as Guirassy this time turned provider, showing excellent pace on the left wing.

A perfect pass to the back post left an open goal for Beier, who almost got his feet in a muddle but managed to bundle the ball over the line.

It should have been 3-0 midway through the second half when the ball fell to Dortmund captain Julian Brandt from a corner, but he could not keep his shot down and blazed over the crossbar from eight yards out.

Atalanta were restricted to shots from distance, none of which looked like beating home goalkeeper Gregor Kobel.