PSG is through to the Champions League Round of 16, but it came down to the wire against Monaco in their playoff tie. The defending champion drew 2-2 at home and advanced 5-4 on aggregate after an intense second-leg battle at Parc des Princes.
Monaco took the lead before halftime when winger Maghnes Akliouche scored. At that point, the aggregate score was level at 3-3, putting everything on the line. PSG's defense looked shaky for stretches, but the turning point came midway through the second half when disaster struck for the visitors. The 21-year-old midfielder Mamadou Coulibaly was shown a second yellow card in the 59th minute following a foul on Khvicha Kvaratskhelia. Suddenly, Monaco had to play the final stretch with 10 men.
PSG captain Marquinhos equalized from the ensuing free kick, and then six minutes later Kvaratskhelia put PSG 2-1 up and in command. Jordan Teze's stoppage-time equalizer came too late for Monaco. The red card proved to be the decisive moment, flipping momentum completely in PSG's favor when they needed it most.
This wasn't the dominant display PSG fans might have hoped for. Until Coulibaly's sending off, PSG had looked jittery and Monaco were beginning to take control of the game. PSG's first-leg 3-2 victory in Monaco kept them in the driver's seat, but the second leg showed that Champions League playoff ties are never decided until the final whistle. The defending champions got the job done when it mattered most, grinding through a tense European night to stay alive in their title defense.