PSG hold off Monaco fightback to seal aggregate victory in thriller

Paris St-Germain survived a nervous finish to edge past 10-man Monaco 5-4 on aggregate following a thrilling 2-2 draw.

Champions strike quickly

The French champions appeared to be cruising through the tie after striking twice in quick succession.

Marquinhos opened the scoring before Khvicha Kvaratskhelia doubled the lead moments later to give the hosts a commanding advantage.

The Georgian winger’s strike seemed to have put the contest beyond reach for the visitors.

However, a spirited Monaco side refused to surrender despite suffering a significant setback midway through the contest.

Coulibaly sees red

The visitors’ task became mountainous when Mamadou Coulibaly was dismissed by the referee.

The young midfielder was shown a red card, leaving Adi Hutter’s men to chase the game with a numerical disadvantage.

Yet, the dismissal seemed to galvanise the principality club rather than deflate them.

Monaco continued to press forward, forcing the Parisians into uncomfortable defensive errors.

Nervous finale for hosts

Jordan Teze struck late on to reduce the deficit and inject panic into the Parc des Princes crowd.

Luis Enrique’s side were forced to defend deeply in the dying minutes to prevent the tie from slipping away.

Ultimately, the Ligue 1 leaders held their nerve to secure their progression in the tournament.