On Tuesday, during the first leg of the 2025-2026 Champions League playoff (the second leg is on Wednesday, February 25), Paris Saint-Germain faced AS Monaco at the Stade Louis II. After a nightmare start, the Parisians rallied to win 3-2. Here are our player ratings for the Parisians.
Goalkeeper –
Matvey Safonov (4) – A nightmare first half. He could do little about the first goal, completely abandoned, but he could have been decisive on the second.
Defenders –
Achraf Hakimi (6) – Scorer of the equalizer, he had a solid first half. It’s worth noting that he improved significantly throughout the match. More running, good decision-making. A good overall performance.
Marquinhos (5) – A first half to forget. Conceding two goals like that inevitably leads to criticism of the central defensive pairing. They improved somewhat in the second half.
Willian Pacho (5) – Like Marquinhos, too much collective complacency, flaws in positioning. They need to keep the team together to avoid defending like that. Bolagun caused him problems with his back to goal.
Nuno Mendes (4) – He made a big mistake on Monaco’s first goal, as he often does, he relaxed and completely missed a cross-field pass down the middle. Otherwise, he brought dynamism. Many small errors, even in the second half.
Midfielders –
Joao Neves (6) – He battles hard, he’s present, but he still seems a bit lacking physically, especially in his attacking duels. He improved a bit in the second half, helped by Monaco playing with 10 men.
Vitinha (6) – He missed a penalty, lacked the courage to break lines, and Vitinha is still a bit limited at the moment. A better second half, with more time to impose his rhythm.
Warren Zaïre-Emery (6) – You can’t say he had a bad first half. Available and active at both ends of the pitch, it’s a shame he wasn’t the instigator of the comeback, given the energy he had. Better in the second half, he was more enterprising.
Forwards –
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (4) – A mixed first half, but with him, there are always dangerous situations. He just needs to be more precise with his final pass to maintain consistency. Creating chances is good, scoring is better. He tried a lot, but with little success. We expect better. Substituted by Lee Kang-in in the 69th minute.
Ousmane Dembélé (Not Rated) – Substituted in the 26th minute by Désiré Doué (8.5) – He made a notable entrance, scoring a goal and also setting up the second. He wanted to send a message. His crosses were dangerous, and his second goal gave Paris the lead. A good performance off the bench.
Bradley Barcola (3) – He was rarely seen on the pitch, had little influence, but Luis Enrique continued to trust him. He is going through a difficult period nonetheless. Substituted by Gonçalo Ramos in the 80th minute.
Coach –
Luis Enrique (5) – This Parisian team is struggling. They dominate, but have weaknesses that prevent the team from flourishing. We saw a good reaction, which can also be credited to him. He still has things to correct.
