Article by Aurelian Botezatu – Published on Thursday, 26 February 2026, 08:00 / Updated on Thursday, 26 February 2026 08:00
Istvan Kovacs was at the center in PSG – Monaco (2-2, in the round 2-3), but also the protagonist of a moment that influenced the course of a game that decided the qualification of the European champion in the “eighties”.
The phase that broke the balance of the match at the Parc des Princes happened in the 59th minute. After Istvan Kovacs had shown him a yellow card 4 minutes earlier for a sliding tackle, the Monegasque Mamadou Koulibaly had a duel with Achraf Hakimi. The intervention was not intense, but PSG's defender took advantage and amplified everything, and the Romanian “central” showed the aggressor a second “yellow” and sent him to the booths.
Immediately after that, PSG equalized through Marquinhos, following the free kick awarded (min. 60), and 6 minutes later, Kvaratskhelia made it 2-1 (min. 66). In the first minute of overtime, Teze equalized, but it proved too late for a comeback. And PSG goes to the “optimums”.
Luis Enrique: “I never talk about referees”
After the final whistle, at the press conference, Monaco coach Sebastien Pocognoli attacked Kovacs, accusing him of double standards. “As far as I'm concerned, Coulibaly's sending off was not deserved. I think it was harsh, especially as both bookings were given within five minutes.
If the referee gave it to Coulibaly, he should have done the same to Lucas Hernandez. Coulibaly is a young player, Hernandez won the World Cup and yet he is the one being told to calm down. There are double standards. It happened to us, from Monaco, far too often”, complained Pocognoli.
His PSG counterpart Luis Enrique was asked if the Monaco player's dismissal helped the Parisians qualify, but the Spanish coach declined to comment: “I never talk about referees“.
L'Equipe daily specialist: “The second yellow card came logically”
Instead, L'Equipe's specialist, former international referee Saïd Ennjimi, is on Kovacs' side. “The sequence of events makes the second yellow card logical. If we isolate the incident, the second yellow card is harsh. Achraf Hakimi knew how to take advantage at that stage.
But the Monaco player caused the situation himself, starting with the previous foul on Nuno Mendes. Then he delayed Hakimi, with a far from serious foul, but behaving like this, he could not expect anything but a second yellow card. That's the problem,” commented Ennjimi.
Le Parisien: “Too hard a decision”
Presser? The daily Le Parisien wrote that the second “yellow” shown to Coulibaly was “too harsh a decision”. And the Spanish daily AS reported the elimination of Koulibaly as follows: “The first yellow card was clear, the second very harsh because Achraf Hakimi exaggerated his fall. In any case, for Kovacs it was indisputable.”
Another Spanish newspaper, Marca, pointed out: “In just three minutes, Coulibaly made a rookie mistakereceiving two yellow cards which, as happened to Golovin in the first leg, left Monaco with one player less while leading the scoreboard”.
