The first matchday of the UEFA Champions League playoffs surprised football fans with dramatic matches. Special attention was drawn to the encounter between Paris Saint-Germain and Monaco, where the Parisians, trailing 0-2 after goals from Folarin Balogun, managed to make an incredible comeback in the second half. The final score was 3-2 in favor of PSG, thanks to goals from Achraf Hakimi and a double from Désiré Doué, while the red card shown to Alexander Golovin became a decisive moment for the team from Monaco.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid secured a narrow victory over Benfica with a score of 1-0, highlighted by a magnificent strike from Vinícius Júnior. This match was memorable not only for the high level of play but also for the red card issued to Benfica's head coach José Mourinho at the very end of the game.
In the other matches of the matchday, Borussia Dortmund confidently defeated Atalanta with a score of 2-0, while Galatasaray put on a real show, crushing Juventus with an unexpected result of 5-2. The fate of the participants in the Round of 16 will be decided in the return matches.
