Dembele hits double as PSG win ahead of Liverpool return
Dembele hits double as PSG win ahead of Liverpool return
Rennes’ Dutch midfielder #06 Azor Matusiwa (L) and Paris Saint-Germain’s French forward #10 Ousmane Dembele fight for the ball during the French L1 football match between Stade Rennais FC and Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) at Roazhon Park Stadium in Rennes, western France on March 8, 2025. (Photo by JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER / AFP)

Ousmane Dembele scored twice as Paris Saint-Germain warmed up for the second leg of their Champions League last-16 tie against Liverpool by winning 4-1 away to Rennes in Ligue 1 with a much-changed team on Saturday.

Bradley Barcola and Goncalo Ramos had PSG 2-0 up in Brittany before Lilian Brassier pulled one back for Rennes, but Dembele netted twice in stoppage time to seal the victory for the visitors.

The result allowed the Ligue 1 leaders to maintain their unbeaten record in domestic competition this season.

The Parisians are now a huge 16 points clear at the top before closest challengers Marseille play at home to Lens later.

Luis Enrique’s side were ultimately comfortable winners despite the coach making eight changes to his starting line-up in between the two legs of the Liverpool tie, with the return at Anfield coming up on Tuesday.

“We are in perfect condition to go and take on Liverpool. We have nothing to lose and we will give everything to try to qualify,” for the quarter-finals, said Luis Enrique.

“It was difficult but we put in a serious performance and it gives us lots of hope before going to Liverpool,” the Spaniard added of his team’s display.

– Key players rested –
Barcola, Joao Neves and Willian Pacho were the only players to keep their places for PSG against Rennes following the 1-0 home loss to Liverpool in the first leg last Wednesday.

Dembele was among the regular starters to be rested at kick-off, but he came off the bench just after the hour mark and the France forward’s double strike moves him onto 20 league goals for the campaign.

The player who began his career at Rennes has now scored 28 times in all competitions this season, including 23 goals in 18 appearances since mid-December.

Rennes came into the game on a run of four wins in five outings to climb up into mid-table after Habib Beye replaced Jorge Sampaoli as coach at the end of January.





https://www.vanguardngr.com/2025/03/dembele-hits-double-as-psg-win-ahead-of-liverpool-return/