Nuno Mendes through: ex-Sporting star advances in Champions League | OneFootball

PSG confirmed their qualification for the Champions League round of 16 last Wednesday, but they had to struggle to achieve it against Monaco, in a 2-2 draw at the Parc des Princes that concluded the tie with an aggregate score of 5-4. Nuno Mendes started for the Parisian team.

The Monegasques were better at the start and could have leveled the tie within ten minutes when Mamadou Coulibaly missed an open goal after a great play by Maghnes Akliouche. Before that, Thilo Kehrer, a former PSG player, had already come close to scoring, and the team led by Luis Enrique was experiencing unusual difficulties, with less ball possession and forced to respond to the high pressure from their compatriots.

Monaco scored before halftime. A long offensive circulation and a perfect finish by Akliouche restored hope to the visiting team and leveled the tie. In the second half, Sébastien Pocognoli's side threatened again, but the scenario changed completely from the 58th minute.

Coulibaly saw a red card, and two minutes later, Marquinhos took advantage of the numerical superiority to equalize the game and put PSG back in the aggregate lead. From then on, the Parisians took control, pushed their lines forward, and drove Monaco back.

With more space and more time on the ball, the Paris team eventually completed the comeback with a powerful shot from Kvicha Kvaratskhelia, seemingly decisive for the outcome of the tie. Near the end, Jordan Teze still made it 2-2, a goal that rewarded Monaco's courage and quality performance, but it did not prevent Nuno Mendes' team from advancing to the next phase - Sporting already knows who they might face - and proving that the European champion remains very much alive in defending the European title.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.