Dembele Shines Again as PSG Beat Brest 3-0 in Champions League Play-Off
Dembele Stars Again as PSG Beat Brest in Champions League Play-Off First Leg
Ousmane Dembele continued his incredible run of form, scoring a brace to help Paris Saint-Germain secure a commanding 3-0 victory over Brest in the first leg of their Champions League play-off tie on Tuesday. With the win, PSG took a major step towards qualifying for the last 16, and it now seems unlikely that Brest, who have never participated in European competition before, will be able to turn the tie around in next week’s second leg.
The match at the Stade de Roudourou in Guingamp started with PSG dominating possession and taking control early on. Vitinha opened the scoring for the Parisians in the 17th minute, converting a penalty after Dembele’s shot struck the arm of Brest’s Pierre Lees-Melou. After a review by the referee, Vitinha calmly slotted home past goalkeeper Marco Bizot to put PSG ahead.
Brest, despite their underdog status, showed moments of promise. Abdallah Sima had two excellent chances to equalize, first being thwarted by a superb recovery tackle from Willian Pacho, and then seeing his header from a corner hit the far post. However, PSG’s quality began to show as the first half drew to a close. Just before the break, they broke out of Brest’s press in style, with Achraf Hakimi playing a perfect pass to Dembele, who cut inside from the right and beat Bizot at the near post to double PSG’s lead.
In the second half, Brest had another near-miss when Sima hit the post early on, but PSG remained the more dangerous side. Desire Doue thought he had scored, but his effort was ruled offside in the build-up. Dembele then sealed the win with a deflected strike in the 66th minute. After a blocked attempt to set up Bradley Barcola, the ball broke back to Dembele, who fired home past Bizot with a fortunate deflection.
Dembele’s brace brings his season tally to 23 goals, with 18 of those coming in just the last two months. The French international’s stunning form has been a key factor in PSG’s dominance, with the club now unbeaten in their last 15 matches against French opposition, dating back to May 2024.
PSG head coach Luis Enrique praised Dembele’s current confidence, saying, “Ousmane is full of confidence just now. He was good in 2024, and he is even better in 2025.”
With the tie now firmly in their control, PSG will host Brest for the second leg at the Parc des Princes next Wednesday, where they will be heavy favorites to advance. Enrique, however, was quick to remind his players that they cannot take the second leg lightly. “There is no chance we will treat the second leg like a training game,” he stated. “Our objective is to qualify for the last 16 by winning the return.”
For Brest, the task of overturning a 3-0 deficit in Paris looks almost impossible. Brest coach Eric Roy acknowledged his team’s disappointment, saying, “It is disappointing and frustrating. I think 3-0 is harsh on us, but PSG deserved to win.”
Despite the defeat, Brest will now look ahead to the second leg, where they must find a way to break their long winless streak against PSG, a run that dates back 40 years.
PSG’s Champions League ambitions look strong, and with Dembele in this kind of form, they will be a tough opponent for anyone in the next round.
Dembele Shines Again as PSG Beat Brest 3-0 in Champions League Play-Off