Article by Cosmin Nistor – Published on Wednesday, 25 February 2026, 23:46 / Updated on Wednesday, 25 February 2026 23:49
Istvan Kovacs was at the center of the UEFA Champions League play-off second leg between Paris Saint-Germain and AS monacoa game that had a controversial moment in the second half.
After 3-2 for PSG in the round, Monaco opened the scoring in the 45th minute, and at halftime the qualification was sent to extra time.
PHOTO. Mamadou Coulibaly, eliminated after a duel with Hakimi
The moment that broke the balance happened in the 59th minute. First, Monaco midfielder Mamadou Coulibaly saw the yellow card in the 55th minute after a slide on an opponent.
Four minutes later, Coulibaly had a duel with Achraf Hakimi. The entry had no intensity, but Kovacs dictated a foul and awarded the second yellow card to the Monegasque midfielder, eliminating him in the 59th minute. The French contested the decision, but the phase cannot be verified in the VAR room, considering that it was not a direct elimination.
PSG quickly took advantage of the numerical superiority. In the next phase, Marquinhos equalized, completely changing the dynamics of the game. Just six minutes later, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored again for the Parisians, taking the aggregate score to 5-3 and decisively tilting the balance of qualification.
Who is Mamadou Coulibaly?
Mamadou Coulibaly is one of the products of AS Monaco's academy. He promoted to Monaco U19 in the 2020/2021 season, and later made the step to the U21, in the 2022/2023 season.
At senior level, the midfielder has made 33 appearances for Monaco so far, with 3 goals and 4 assists. According to Transfermarkt, he is quoted at around 8 million euros.
For Istvan Kovacs, this was the first Champions League match since the match on January 28, 2026, Borussia Dortmund – Inter 0-2. In the Superliga, the last refereed game was FC Argeș – Farul 1-0, on February 22, 2026.
