Paris Saint Germain needed to work for it, however the reigning Champions League winners earned their 3-2 win over Monaco in Tuesday’s first playoff leg.
USMNT striker Folarin Balogun acquired Monaco off to a fast begin, scoring 55 seconds into the match. He added to the host’s lead with one other objective within the 18th minute to move Christian Pulisic for objectives (5) by an American in a single Champions League season.
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These good instances would not final very lengthy. After being subbed in for an injured Ousmane Dembélé within the twenty seventh minute, PSG’s Désiré Doué scored two minutes later and Achraf Hakimi equalized within the forty first minute.
Three minutes into the second half, Aleksandr Golovin put Monaco right into a gap after getting a straight purple card following a problem on Vitinha. Doué, who hadn’t scored within the Champions League since October earlier than Tuesday, recorded his brace with the go-ahead objective within the 67th minute.
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Fellow title contenders Actual Madrid topped Benfica 1-0 because of a ravishing Vinícius Júnior objective within the fiftieth minute.
There was a delay following the objective after Benfica gamers took exception to Vini Jr.’s objective celebration. Throughout the skirmish, the Actual Madrid ahead notified referee François Letexier that an alleged racist comment was directed his method by Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni. The sport resumed 10 minutes later.
Benfica supervisor and former Actual Madrid boss José Mourinho was despatched off late within the match and can miss the second leg on the Bernabéu.
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Elsewhere, Borussia Dortmund dispatched Atalanta 2-0 as Serhou Guirassy scored within the third minute and Maximilian Beier doubled the lead simply earlier than halftime. Galatasaray scored 4 instances within the second half, together with two from Noa Lang, throughout a 5-2 win over Juventus.
Regardless of the dropping effort, USMNT’s Weston McKennie picked up his third help in 4 days on Teun Koopmeiners’ second objective of the match.
Galatasaray has not reached the Champions League Spherical of 16 since 2014.
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Wednesday’s Champions League fixtures12:45 p.m. ET: Qarabağ vs. Newcastle3 p.m. ET: Bodø/Glimt vs. Inter Milan3 p.m. ET: Membership Brugge vs. Atlético Madrid3 p.m. ET: Olympiacos vs. Bayer Leverkusen
This is how Tuesday’s knockout part playoff motion performed out reside:
Reside protection is over26 updatesTue, February 17, 2026 at 5:07 p.m. EST
Sean Leahy
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Wednesday’s fixtures
12:45 p.m. ET: Qarabağ vs. Newcastle3 p.m. ET: Bodø/Glimt vs. Inter Milan3 p.m. ET: Membership Brugge vs. Atlético Madrid3 p.m. ET: Olympiacos vs. Bayer Leverkusen
Sean Leahy
Sean Leahy
The referee had a dialog with Gianluca Prestianni of Benfica and play will now resume within the sixtieth minute following a 10-minute delay.
Sean Leahy
Vinícius Júnior seems to have advised the match official {that a} racist comment was directed his method. He instantly ran to the referee and that has introduced gamers and each benches on to the sector as issues are sorted out.
Vini Jr. stays seated on the Actual Madrid bench as everybody tries to get the sport so as.
Sean Leahy
Vini minimize in from the left aspect and curled a ravishing shot round Benfica goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin to interrupt the impasse.
The Actual Madrid star would decide up a yellow card for extreme celebration following the objective.
Sean Leahy
A VAR evaluation decided that Aleksandr Golovin was worthy of a straight purple card after catching Vitinha up excessive together with his cleat.
Sean Leahy
Sean Leahy
Sean Leahy
Sean Leahy
Down 2-0 after 18 minutes, PSG is now degree with Monaco after objectives from Désiré Doué and Achraf Hakimi.
Sean Leahy
Ousmane Dembélé left the match after choosing up an harm. Doué wasted no time making an influence on the match.
Sean Leahy
PSG had an opportunity to get on the board, but it surely wasn’t meant to be within the twenty second minute.
Sean Leahy
The black and yellow wanted solely three minutes to seize the league in opposition to the Italian aspect because of Serhou Guirassy
Sean Leahy
It has been all Monaco within the first half in opposition to PSG, and that is because of Folarin Balogun.
The USMNT striker opened the scoring 55 seconds into the match. He has added to that within the 18th minute to place the reigning champions in opposition to the ropes within the first leg.
Sean Leahy
Sean Leahy
The USMNT striker netted his fourth Champions League objective this season 55 seconds in in opposition to the Ligue 1 aspect.
Balogun now has three objectives in his final 5 video games in opposition to PSG.
Sean Leahy
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Borussia Dortmund-Atalanta has been delayed quarter-hour after Dortmund arrived late to the stadium.
Sean Leahy
The Turkish aspect is management and has one foot within the Spherical of 16 following a 5-2 win in Tuesday’s first leg. Noa Lang recorded a brace as Galatasary scored 4 instances within the second half.
The 2 sides will meet once more subsequent Wednesday at Allianz Stadium in Torino, Italy.
Sean Leahy
Sean Leahy
Minutes after Juan Cabal was proven a second yellow card, Noa Lang added his second objective of the match to place Galatasaray up 4-2 over Juventus.
Champions League playoffs outcomes
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