PSG Warns Barcelona With Strasbourg Win: Ousmane Dembele Is Back

PSG defeated Strasbourg on Saturday (3-1) in a strange match in which they were first dominated and lacked inspiration before the introduction of their stars made the difference, as they did last week against Le Mans. Between Manchester and Barcelona, these three points are precious, though not reassuring.

It is becoming almost usual, but how long will it last? It is better to kill PSG while you still can; otherwise, it traps you. Luis Enrique's team produced two completely different halves in Strasbourg on Saturday.

They fell behind first, since the Parisian substitutes fielded that night couldn't break through Racing de Reyna (17th). But with a one-goal lead, the advantage was too slim, and Paris was not dead.

The introductions, first Doué, Mendes, and Vitinha, then Dembélé and Hakimi, obviously allowed the defending French champions to show a different face.

Unable to get into Jorgensen's penalty area, this team began to control the match, and logic followed. Zabarnyi opened his account this season to equalize (77th), before Dembélé sealed PSG's win (85th), and Doué finished off the Strasbourg side (90+2).

Coming on in the 64th minute, the Ballon d'Or winner decided the match within minutes. However, his performance started badly: he missed a penalty in the 72nd minute, sending it too far across and off target.

Not enough to knock him out of the match, especially not in those hot final minutes. Five minutes later, he had already moved on, and from the right side he delivered a millimeter-perfect cross for Zabarnyi, who only had to finish.

1-1, with about ten minutes left. Paris was already getting out of trouble, but not enough to satisfy Dembélé. In the 85th minute, he produced a remarkably clean sequence of touches at the edge of the box, concluded by an unstoppable left-footed shot to finally give PSG the lead.

PSG had done the hard part, but the number 10 still had not finished his show. Safonov cleared it in stoppage time, and he controlled an aerial ball inside the box, then gave it to Torres, who set up Doué for the third goal. Dembélé was obviously involved.

In their last three matches, PSG have been awarded four penalties. It may seem crazy, but they have converted only one (Beraldo against Le Mans). In one week, Doué, Torres, and Dembélé all failed at one of the apparently simplest exercises for scoring a goal.

The number 10 stepped up against Jorgensen in the 73rd minute while PSG were trailing 1-0. He sent his shot far too far across, and it didn't even go on target.

The situation is becoming concerning, even if it has had no consequences so far. In their last 19 penalty-spot attempts, Paris have scored only 10 times. A paradox all the more notable since, since his arrival at PSG, Luis Enrique has never lost a penalty shootout.