Ligue 1 – Balogun scores and assists, Barcola's goal isn't enough to save Paris Saint-Germain; they lose 1-3 to Monaco but remain top of the table.

In the 25th round of the 2025/26 Ligue 1 season, Paris Saint-Germain hosted Monaco at home. They ultimately suffered a surprising 1-3 defeat, but maintained their top spot in the league despite having played one more game.

Monaco started strong, exchanging attacks with Paris Saint-Germain. In the 5th minute, Caio Henrique's cross from a 45-degree angle was quite dangerous, but Denis Zakaria's close-range header went just over the bar. In the 6th minute, Bradley Balcora, with his back to two defenders in the penalty area, passed the ball back to Ashraf Hakimi, whose follow-up shot was saved by Philippe Cohen.

In the 17th minute, Jordan Teze delivered a precise long pass from midfield to Magna Aklius on the right wing, whose shot from inside the penalty area went over the crossbar. In the 22nd minute, Barkola once again passed the ball back inside the penalty area, and Dero Fernandez's curling shot went wide of the right side.

In the 27th minute, Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Warren Zaire-Emerick made a clearance error in the penalty area, allowing Flalin Balogun to capitalize and assist Akliush for a close-range goal. Neither side managed to score again, and Monaco went into halftime with a 1-0 lead.

Just 10 minutes into the second half, Monaco extended their lead due to an opponent's mistake: Vitinha misjudged a clearance in the penalty area, allowing substitute Alexandre Golovin to capitalize and score. However, Paris Saint-Germain did not give up after conceding two goals, launching a counter-attack against Monaco. In the 62nd minute, Hakimi cut the ball back from the right side of the penalty area, and Nuno Mendes' header was saved by Cohen. In the 65th minute, Mendes received a pass back from Seni Maylou in the penalty area and unleashed a powerful shot, which went wide.

In the 71st minute, Hakimi dribbled across the edge of the penalty area and delivered a diagonal pass, which Barkola fired into the net to pull one back for Paris. However, Monaco widened the gap again just two minutes later: Balogun unleashed a long-range shot that beat Matvey Safonov, securing a 3-1 victory for his team.

Following this match, Paris Saint-Germain continues to lead Ligue 1 with a record of 18 wins, 3 draws, and 4 losses, accumulating 57 points. Monaco's record improved to 12 wins, 4 draws, and 9 losses, moving them up to 5th place.

Image source: Internet/French Ligue 1 official website