Paris Saint-Germain and AS Monaco faced off this Tuesday at the Stade Louis II in the first leg of their 2025-2026 Champions League playoff tie (the second leg is on February 25). The match ended in a 3-2 victory for PSG. After the game, Monaco coach Sébastien Pocognoli spoke at a press conference.
Pocognoli: “I’m satisfied with how we defended with 10 men.”
Any regrets after the defeat?
“We’ll talk about regrets after the second leg. We’ll discuss what we could have done better, so we leave the door open for the second match. There are many things, but also some things we did well. We could have kept possession better, but when you play against a team that averages 75% possession, it’s difficult. You have to be fresh and enjoy working for the ball.”
We need quality when we have the ball, like on the goals we scored. I’m taking that as a positive. We can also press higher up the pitch, like on the goals. I’m satisfied with how we defended with 10 men, which allows us to go into the second leg with the ambition of putting on a good show.
Pocognoli: “I have a collective frustration”
Are you angry with Golovin for not controlling the tackle?
I’m frustrated because, not just because of the red card but the whole context, we can’t afford to play like that in a match like this, 10 against 11. I prefer to discuss the red card internally.
But I have a collective frustration because we’re playing this playoff with a lot of players missing, a lot of heart, and playing with 10 men adds even more difficulty. However, we’re facing this challenge with the right attitude. That’s positive. Afterwards, we perhaps deserve not to be in a situation where we don’t have to say, “What if it hadn’t been for that?”
Pocognoli: “Which allows us to be ambitious.”
What were your thoughts at 2-0, with a penalty save and Dembélé’s substitution?
We know that if PSG speeds up and raises their level of play, the danger will arise. That’s logical. They didn’t start the match well, while we were ready to start the match well. So, we forced the issue. When we saved the penalty, I thought we had the opportunity to have a good evening and achieve what we want.
Regarding the two goals conceded, I think we can do better. We can consider ourselves lucky to have defended well with 10 men and to only have a one-goal deficit in the second leg, which allows us to be ambitious.
Pocognoli: “We need to keep everyone together and positive.”
What did you say to the players at the end of the match?
That they gave everything playing 10 against 11, and that I don’t want them to have any negative thoughts going into the locker room. The second leg is decided from the final whistle. We need to dispel any doubts. We had a discussion in the locker room. We need to show that we’re united, that we’re in this together. We have a small squad, we need to keep everyone together and positive. We have a very important match in Lens on Saturday; we need a positive momentum.
The decision on Marquinhos’ handball?
For me, it was a penalty. But, well, the injuries, the penalty, the red card… Objectively speaking, it was a handball. It was a callable foul. It’s part of the game; we can’t go back and change it.
Did you sense a Désiré Doué eager for revenge? Are you surprised by his level of play?
I’m focused on my players; I haven’t paid attention to his performance. He came on well, that’s for sure. But I’m not interested in analyzing his match.
