On Tuesday, in the first leg of the 2025-2026 Champions League playoffs (second leg on February 25), Paris Saint-Germain faced AS Monaco at the Stade Louis II. Folarin Balogun, the 24-year-old Monaco striker, spoke to CBS Sports after PSG’s 3-2 victory.
Balogun: “We know we have to be perfect.”
It all started so well, how did this match slip away from Monaco?
I think we made mistakes that turned the game around. But PSG is a great team, we know we have to be perfect to achieve anything.
A personal return to form?
Yes, there was a good cross, you have to be focused, for the second one too. It’s good, but we have to focus on the second leg because we can still turn things around.
Balogun: “We know we can cause problems.”
What is the biggest frustration?
PSG missed a penalty; a match like this is decided by managing the highs and lows. We know we need to improve. The red card didn’t help. We need to recover and work.
What can we take away from the first leg to build confidence for the return leg?
We know we can cause problems, and we did. That gives us confidence. We need to build on that and reduce our mistakes.
