Analysis: Kohn’s masterclass a key positive to extract from PSG defeat
Even though AS Monaco succumbed to a late winner to lose the Trophee des Champions against Paris Saint-Germain, Philipp Kohn’s masterful man of the match performance was unquestionably a huge positive from this tough defeat.
Making his 12th appearance of the season for Les Monegasques, Kohn impressively underlined his class, despite him being second-choice behind Radoslaw Majecki when the Pole’s fit, to vindicate the faith of his manager by producing a scintillating display on the big stage.
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Rising to the occasion brilliantly, the Swiss international goalkeeper was right on top of his game to continually deny the star-studded PSG side, who possess a plethora of offensive talent.
Getting off to a terrific start by making a tremendous save to deflect Desire Doue’s strike onto the crossbar, this set the tone for his superb night at the office.
He then proceeded to thwart Ousmane Dembele with a tidy stop, as he got down and across rapidly to repel the Frenchman’s attempt. Another sharp piece of work followed, where he explosively sprung up to divert Kang-in Lee’s powerful blast over the bar.
Showing excellent balance, poise, decision making and judgement, Kohn was on hand to keep out Doue again and authoritatively race off his line to snuff out Dembele to kick off his second stanza in style.
Attentive to danger and displaying his full repertoire of skills, how he briskly reacted to smother Achraf Hakimi 1v1 at full stretch illustrated again what a force to be reckoned with Kohn is.
Coming up big to chime in with a brave block on Goncalo Ramos at the death, it appeared his heroics in this passage would be enough to take the game to penalties. But frustratingly PSG struck late, on an effort Kohn was powerless to stop, to run out victorious.
While Monaco couldn’t secure the win, Kohn’s sensational outing between the posts warranted enormous praise, for he almost single-handedly kept his team in the game right up until the end.
By the numbers, his nine saves, 2.71 goals prevented and 11 recoveries further punctuated what an accomplished showing he delivered.
“I obviously want to congratulate him, because he had a fantastic game tonight with incredible saves that kept us in the game for a long time. We are therefore all the more disappointed for him to lose this match,” insisted Adi Hutter afterwards.
When asked about his outstanding exploits, Kohn cut a delighted figure even though he was obviously disappointed his team fell short. “As a goalkeeper, achieving this type of performance is definitely a good thing. The beginning was not easy, but then I made many saves to help the team and give them back the confidence they have in me. Today, I gave everything I could, but sometimes it is not enough,” explained the 26-year-old.
“I think the league match against PSG was similar. As I said, for a goalkeeper, making so many saves is good, but unfortunately, we lost. I would have preferred to make just one save and win. That’s football, I try to take the positives to improve. It’s true that the penalty shootout was close, we were unlucky. Especially since we also had situations, but in the end it was not an undeserved victory for Paris Saint-Germain, who dominated the match. We must be more focused in added time, it is difficult to accept, but this is the game and we must take the positives from this match to refocus on the championship.”
Set to give him a massive boost of confidence for 2025 in his quest to reclaim the No.1 spot from Majecki, he’ll be eager to keep putting his best foot forward if he’s granted the start against Nantes as well.
While he’s had some difficult times since joining from Red Bull Salzburg in the summer of 2023 on a five-year contract, with him notably losing his spot to Majecki being a particularly challenging moment, there’s no doubting what a fine keeper he is when at the peak of his powers.
Indeed, his form at the beginning of the campaign when Majecki was injured exemplified his quality nicely. Although eager to usurp Majecki again as Hutter’s first-choice, Kohn’s measured and determined approach serves as a testament to his professionalism, experience and maturity.
“I think the situation is indicative of top-level football. You sometimes go through difficult times, but when you keep working hard every day, anything is possible. It’s a dream for me to play for a club like AS Monaco and to play Champions League games like the one against Barca. Personally, I work hard every day, and I think we have a very good team, and a great trio of goalkeepers,” he explained.
“Radeck did a great job in the second half of last season, helping us qualify for the Champions League. As for me, I believe in my qualities and I try to give the team as much confidence as possible. I think I’ve done a good job so far, but I want to continue to give my all every day, in every match, and to perform.
“In my opinion, you learn a lot from difficult periods, whether on or off the pitch. I had good discussions with the coach and with the management about it. For me it was not easy, but I think the most important thing is the reaction you show, especially in training. The work I do every day with the staff allows me to stay focused, and once again I try to give the team confidence in myself. I arrived here at a big club, where the previous season had not been good, so it was not easy. But it is a bit of my lesson to believe in myself whatever the situation. I believe in my qualities, that is why I am here today. So I try to work every day to continue to be efficient.”
Highlighting again what a fantastic player and an exceptional teammate he is, the hard-working and selfless shot-stopper, who knows the life of a keeper is never easy and remains relentless in his pursuit to improve, provided further evidence in this clash vs. PSG of what an asset he is for Hutter’s Monaco.
Once more delivering and depicting his class, and demonstrating that he’s always ready whenever called upon to help his team, the second half of the season will certainly be fascinating to follow for the talented Kohn.