PARIS: AS Monaco handed French champions Paris St-Germain their first home defeat of the Ligue 1 season with a 3-1 away victory at the Parc des Princes on Friday that opened up the championship race.

Maghnes Akliouche had Monaco ahead at halftime, and Aleksandr Golovin and Folarin Balogun netted after the break for the visitors, while Bradley Barcola scored a consolation for PSG, still four points clear of second-placed RC Lens in the standings.

Lens, however, have a chance to cut into the lead when they host bottom-placed Metz on Sunday.

Monaco, who PSG had eliminated in the Champions League last month, moved up to fifth with 40 points, still 17 behind the leaders.

Akliouche punished the home side in the 27th minute after a poor clearance by Warren Zaire-Emery in his own penalty area, with Balogun moving aside so the French international could hit a left-footed finish home from close range.

Golovin increased it to 2-0 in the 55th minute with his first touch after coming on as a substitute, sweeping home a square pass from Mamadou Coulibaly.

PSG were handed hopes of a comeback when Barcola pulled one back in the 71st minute with a right-footed effort from the left wing.

But Monaco took two minutes to restore the two-goal advantage as Balogun’s shot took a deflection off Nuno Mendes before nestling into the back of the net.

Monaco could have won by a more emphatic margin as Simon Adingra struck the PSG crossbar two minutes from time.

PSG will have to pick themselves up as they host Chelsea on Wednesday as they continue their defence of the Champions League title.

“It is not the best result going into the Champions League. We are aware of that,” said PSG coach Luis Enrique. “When you play like that against a team in a very positive dynamic like Monaco, you pay for it.”

Enrique will be concerned at how far away his team are from the remarkable form they showed in the second half of last season on their way to winning the Champions League.

“We are clearly in difficulty at the moment but we need to maintain hope that will change,” he added. “Confidence is not just something you buy at the supermarket.”

One plus was the latest return from injury of last year’s Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele, who came off the bench in the second half.

Published in Dawn, March 8th, 2026