A late Mohammed Salisu own goal rescued a point for Pafos as they held Monaco to a 2-2 draw at the Alphamega Stadium in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) league phase.

Monaco flew out of the blocks and were rewarded inside five minutes. Maghnes Akliouche slid a clever pass into the box for Takumi Minamino, who calmly guided his finish into the bottom corner to give the visitors an early advantage.

Pafos almost hit back immediately when Anderson Silva’s looping strike from the edge of the area crashed against the crossbar, much to Monaco’s relief.

The Cypriot champions didn’t have to wait long for their equaliser. In the 18th minute, Mislav Oršić delivered a superb corner that found David Luiz, whose towering header rocketed into the top corner past Lukas Hrádecký. The goal not only electrified the home crowd but also made Luiz the second-oldest scorer in the competition’s history.

But Pafos’ momentum was quickly dashed. A misplaced pass from goalkeeper Neofytos Michail gifted Folarin Balogun a clean run on goal, and the American striker made no mistake, drilling the ball home to restore Monaco’s lead and register his second UCL strike of the season.

Monaco could have widened the gap before the break when Minamino found space in the 39th minute, but he dragged his effort wide.

Balogun nearly doubled his tally shortly after the restart, racing onto a precision pass from Minamino, but Michail redeemed himself with a crucial block to keep Pafos alive. The miss almost proved costly when Hrádecký was forced into a sharp save at the other end to stop Silva’s powerful attempt.

With the match drifting toward a Monaco victory, late drama struck. A goalmouth scramble ended with the ball deflecting off Salisu and into his own net, sparking jubilant celebrations from the home supporters.

The draw lifts Pafos and Monaco to 22nd and 23rd respectively in the league phase standings, each with six points from five matches. Pafos head coach Juan Carlos Carcedo will be thrilled that his side have suffered just one defeat so far, while Monaco will undoubtedly see this as an opportunity missed and two points squandered.