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 (return leg on February 25). The match ended in a 3-2 victory for PSG (Monaco/PSG video highlights). After the game, Monaco coach Sébastien Pocognoli spoke to CBS Sports.
Pocognoli: “We dropped our level a bit.”
Why was PSG able to turn things around?
There were several factors. We had a perfect start. But we dropped our level a bit. We gave away the penalty, and that was the first step towards that period of the match. Fortunately, we stayed in the game; there was a great save.
After that, PSG came back into the game. We saw the quality of their passing. Perhaps our positioning wasn’t as good. Then, the match changed after the red card. At least we stuck together and fought hard to concede only one goal.
Pocognoli: “It’s always possible.”
Disappointed by Golovin?
There’s disappointment, for sure. If I said otherwise, I’d be lying. I like to protect my players, but it’s difficult this time. We need to be more stable emotionally and in our decisions. That tackle made the match more difficult for us.
Is it possible to turn things around in the return leg?
Of course, it’s possible. If we’re at our best, if we believe in ourselves, anything is possible in football. I would have signed up to play like that today, without the red card. We’re still in the game.
