Football: Paris Returns to Champions League Mode in Leverkusen (2-7)

PSG, buoyed by the return from injury of its offensive talents, won in style in Leverkusen (2-7) this Tuesday in the Champions League. With three victories in three matches, the reigning European champions temporarily take the lead in the League phase.

PSG continues to impress in the Champions League by this time crushing Leverkusen (7-2), Tuesday during the third day of the league phase, carried by Doué author of a double, and by Dembélé, scorer as soon as he entered.

It took the new Ballon d’Or three minutes to find the net in Leverkusen, humiliated by the reigning European champions, who temporarily find themselves first in the standings out of the 36 teams.

Returned at the hour mark (63^rd) after six weeks of absence due to a “severe injury” to his right thigh, Ousmane Dembélé did not delay in opening his goal counter in the European competition, celebrating at the same time his supreme individual reward.

For his first C1 match of the season, he found his legs and lost none of his knowledge of placement and his technique. Served by Bradley Barcola, who had the good idea not to strike and to offer him this goal, the N.10 scored by tackling (6-2, 66^e).

“The Ballon d’Or is over”, warned Luis Enrique the day before, wanting to refocus his player on this new season. Looking at his thirty minutes, the ex-Rennais has indeed turned the page on this crazy sequence for him, and seems fully focused on the rest.

Gifted sparkling in the first half

While waiting for Dembélé to come on, Désiré Doué was the central player of the first period, recalling his last match in the Champions League… the final against Inter Milan last May in Munich, which he dazzled with a double and an assist.

Like Dembélé (thigh), Désiré Doué (calf) made a perfect return to the premier competition, playing only the first period.

The two Frenchmen, injured on September 5, were absent during the Parisians’ first two successes, first against Atalanta Bergamo (4-0) and against FC Barcelona (2-1).

Scoring at the end of the first period in quick succession, first with a cross shot from the left (2-1, 41st) then with a curling shot from the right (4-1, 45 + 3), the N.14 had received a few minutes before a big elbow to the jaw from Leverkusen captain Robert Andrich, who received a red card (33^e).

After his double, Doué – not bothered by the shock – came out at half-time, replaced by Lucas Hernandez. The French defender came on due to the expulsion of central defender Illya Zabarnyi, guilty of having caught Christian Kofane in the German area (37th^e). This foul earned a penalty converted by Aleix Garcia (1-1, 38^e).

First goal for Pacho

A few minutes before (23^e), Zabarnyi – lined up in place of Marquinhos who ultimately did not come into play – had already caused a penalty due to a hand fault. But this time, Alejandro Grimaldo hit next to Lucas Chevalier’s goal, who started on the right side.

Leverkusen’s equalizer – who had to deal with the absence of seven players – did not bother the Parisians. They opened the scoring early (1-0, 7^e) thanks to a header from Willian Pacho, scoring his first goal at PSG on a magnificent cross from Nuno Mendes, scorer later in the match (50^e, 5-1). “Kvara” (44^e) and Vitinha (90^e) also participated in the festival.

In front of the 1,800 Parisian supporters who came to Leverkusen, Luis Enrique’s players crushed the Germans with six different scorers, sending a clear message to Europe: they want to keep their crown.

Dembélé: “We just had to unroll”

Ousmane Dembélé, PSG striker (on Canal+). “We started the match well by opening the score. We had a difficult period with a lot of yellow and red cards. I think we could have avoided red. But we stayed in the match with Désiré Doué’s double. We just had to unroll. We have to continue like this, it’s only the first part of the season. We will have to be on target, whether in the championship or in the Champions League. We will continue our journey quietly. “