Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique praised his side’s mental strength after they came from two goals down to beat AS Monaco 3-2 away in their Champions League knockout tie on Tuesday, while cautioning that the contest remains far from decided.

The first-leg clash between the two Ligue 1 rivals began disastrously for the visitors as Folarin Balogun struck twice inside the opening 18 minutes to put Monaco firmly in control. PSG’s problems deepened when Vitinha saw his penalty saved.

“Normally, when a team starts a match like that, the most likely outcome is a loss,” Luis Enrique said. “It was catastrophic. It’s impossible to start a match like that. The first two times they overcame our pressure and entered our half, they scored. They made some very good plays.

“After that, it’s difficult to have confidence, but we showed our mental strength. Plus, we missed a penalty, so it was a chance to regain confidence. In the last six times we’ve played here, this is only the second time we’ve won, which shows how difficult it is.”

The turning point came after 20-year-old Desire Doue replaced the injured Ousmane Dembele. Doue scored twice and set up a third for Achraf Hakimi as PSG completed the comeback to take a slender advantage into the second leg.

Luis Enrique was full of praise for Doue, who had faced criticism following a poor display against Stade Rennais last Friday and was initially left out of the starting line-up.

“I’m happy for him because this past week, everyone criticised and tore Doue apart, but he was sensational, he showed his character. He helped the team at the best possible time.”

The PSG coach added that Dembele’s injury would be assessed after the winger was forced off early. “He took a knock in the first 15 minutes, then he couldn’t run,” he said.

Despite the dramatic turnaround, Luis Enrique warned that the job is not done ahead of next Wednesday’s return leg at the Parc des Princes.

“Considering how the match started, I’m happy with the result. But the match in Paris will be difficult, it will be a different story,” he said.