19/02/2026

SPORTS THURSDAY | FEB 19, 2026

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Doue inspires Paris St Germain

French champions fight back to win in Monaco

P ARIS SAINT GERMAIN recov ered from a shambolic start as Desire Doue inspired a comeback from two goals down to beat Monaco 3-2 in the

in November. This time they went in front as Balogun headed in from close range from a Golovin cross for the fastest goal ever conceded in a European tie by PSG. Monaco were in dream land as they doubled their advantage

“He is an incredible player and a different player. I am very pleased for him because he deserved it,” PSG coach Luis Enrique told broad caster Canal Plus .

the interval when a Doue shot was parried by Koehn, with Hakimi con trolling the loose ball before apply ing the finish. Monaco’s grip on the game was really gone within three minutes of the restart as Russian playmaker Golovin saw red following a VAR check for his challenge on Vitinha, granting PSG the extra man. The visitors took advantage as Warren Zaire-Emery laid the ball off for Doue to score his second of the night and make it 3-2 midway through the second half. “I just did my job. We are pleased because the most important thing in games like these is just to win,” Doue told Canal Plus . PSG will hope to fin ish off the tie next week, with the winners facing either Barcelona or Chelsea in the next round. It is a big ask now for Monaco, although they will likely be relieved to be heading to Paris with just a one-goal deficit after playing for so long with 10 men. – AFP

result appeared on the cards, with PSG’s title seemingly very much on the line, all the more so when Vitinha’s penalty was saved by Philipp Koehn after Khvicha Kvaratskhelia was brought down by Wout Faes. That was the fourth penalty out of their last five in the Champions League that PSG turned out to be a blessing, as Doue entered the fray and had a devastating impact. The standout performer had been on the field barely two minutes when he controlled Bradley Barcola’s pass in the box before smashing a left-foot shot low into the far corner. The leveller then came four minutes from had failed to convert, and things got worse for them when Dembele had to come off. Yet his withdrawal really

“There is pressure on us to win and we like that pressure, but there are difficult moments in games that are hard to overcome,” he added.

principality in the first leg of their Champions League knock out phase playoff tie yesterday. United States star Folarin Balogun opened the scoring after just 55 seconds and found the net again on 18 minutes to put Monaco in control against their French Ligue 1 rivals at the Stade Louis II. Vitinha then missed a chance for the reigning European champions to reduce the deficit when he had a penalty saved and last year’s Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele came off injured before the half-hour mark, but his replacement Doue sparked the comeback. He scored and then helped set up Achraf Hakimi for the equaliser just before the break, and Monaco then had Aleksandr Golovin sent off right at the start of the second half. Doue then got the winner on 67 minutes.

when Balogun played a quick one-two with M a g h n e s Akliouche before running through to fin ish past goal keeper Matfei Safonov. A s h o c k

The result keeps the tie alive going into the return leg in Paris next week, but PSG a r e

now strong favour ites to seal a place in the last 16.

Monaco held

Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Juventus at home during the league phase in Europe and also won 1-0 at home to PSG in Ligue 1

Galatasaray rout 10-man Juve

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17/02/2026

7196 3390 5719

DUTCH MIDFIELDER Noa Lang scored a brace as Galatasaray thumped Juventus 5-2 in a pul sating contest in Istanbul yesterday in the first leg of a Champions League playoff. In a nerve-shredding atmosphere, Luciano Spalletti’s Juventus actually led 2-1 at half-time after Teun Koopmeiners replied to Brazilian midfielder Gabriel Sara’s opener with a brace of his own. But Colombian fullback Juan Cabal was dis missed for two bookings in a calamitous sec ond half as Lang’s brace and goals from Davinson Sanchez and Sacha Boey sunk the Old Lady, who faced a miserable return to Turin. “We took several steps backwards,“ moaned Spalletti, whose team had been rejuvenated since he took over in late October with Juve seventh in Serie A and languishing outside the playoff spots in the Champions League after failing to win any of their first three matches. “We finished the first half badly, we tried to sort things out but we lacked personality and character,“ added the 66-year-old. “Obviously the sending off weighed heavily on us, but we also played our part... We didn’t realise the danger in what we were doing.” Sara opened the scoring with a slick left footed strike from just inside the box on 15 minutes, but that lead was short-lived. Gala goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir could only parry Khephren Thuram’s powerful header into

the path of the onrushing Koopmeiners, who tapped in the leveller just a minute later. Koopmeiners then picked out the top corner from the edge of the box on 32 minutes after a clever exchange with US mid fielder Weston McKennie. That was as good as it got for the visitors, though.Okan Buruk’s Turkish cham pions ran riot after the break as Lang pounced on a loose ball in the six yard box to level on 49 minutes. Sanchez nodded Gala ahead on the hour mark as the home fans ramped up the volume. Juve complained of an unfair dis missal in their 3-2 defeat to Serie A leaders Inter Milan at the weekend, but they could have no issues with Cabal’s sending off on 67 minutes. Lang bagged his brace shortly afterwards as he pounced on the loose ball after Victor Osimhen robbed English centre-back Lloyd Kelly from Thuram’s poor pass inside his own box. Substitute Boey ensured Gala would take a commanding lead to Turin next week as he lashed home from an angle five minutes from time. – AFP

9166 7267 6069 7908 0574

5730 0739 0227 2362 9063

9363 7036 3293 1059 5412

1938 9042 3271 3586 4993

RM2,900,322.28

7196 + 5719 3390 + 5719 5719 + 3390

7196 + 3390 3390 + 7196 5719 + 7196

RM163,694.96

2 9 101122252733

PSG’s Desire Doue celebrates after scoring the third goal during the Champions League playoff first leg match against Monaco at Stade Louis II yesterday. – AFPPIC

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Wrexham’s Premier League dream hit by late Bird strike WREXHAM’S bid for promotion to the riches of the Premier League was dented by Max Bird’s late strike to secure Bristol City a 2-2 draw yes terday. Wrexham move level on points with sixth placed Derby but outside the play-off places on goal difference, with City just one point further back in ninth.

RM11,655,148.49

take the game completely away from them. “The lad’s (Max Bird) scored a goal he’ll probably never score again against a 6ft 7in keeper, he’s volleyed the ball in off the bar. Sometimes you can’t legislate for that.” Portsmouth boosted their chances of sur vival with a 3-1 win at fellow strugglers Charlton. Victory takes Pompey four points clear of the relegation zone in another blow to Leicester’s hopes of survival. The Foxes sit in the bottom three after being deducted six points for breaching financial rules and are in danger of sinking to the third tier just a decade on from winning the Premier League. – AFP/Agencies

RM100,000.00

9 6 9 0 1 9 96901

“First half, I thought it was an outstanding performance. We had complete control in the game. They surprised us, they sat off the ball and we passed it with real quality and we got the moment,”Wrexham boss Phil Parkinson said as per BBC Sport . “There was always going to be a change of dynamic after the break. We made one slight technical error and it ends up in the back of the net. “Then we’ve come back into the game again, gone 2-1 up and had an incredible chance to

The Hollywood-backed Welsh side, co owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney, are aiming for a fourth consecu tive promotion to continue their remarkable rise through the English football pyramid. Victory would have taken Wrexham into the playoff places and they twice led through Ollie Rathbone and a Joe Williams own goal. Sinclair Armstrong got the home side’s first equaliser just after half-time and Bird’s fine effort on 89 minutes delivered a vital point in their own push for the play-offs.

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