Inside the opening 20 minutes of Tuesday’s UEFA Champions League clash against Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain were forced into an unexpected early substitution after Ousmane Dembele suffered an apparent muscular injury.
During a swift PSG counter-attack in the 18th minute, the French international executed a sharp change of direction to bypass Barcelona’s defensive line before abruptly pulling up. Dembele immediately clutched the back of his left thigh in visible discomfort and signaled to the bench that he was unable to continue.
Unable to finish the first half, Dembele was officially withdrawn in the 19th minute. PSG head coach Luis Enrique turned to Ferran Torres—another former Barcelona forward—calling on the Spanish international to enter the fray against his ex-club after finding regular playing time hard to come by since his transfer to Paris.
PSG prove formidable even without Dembele
Following Dembele’s early withdrawal, Paris Saint-Germain sustained their offensive pressure even without their primary attacking outlet on the pitch. The Parisian side generated multiple clear scoring opportunities against goalkeeper Joan Garcia before finally breaking the deadlock shortly before the interval.
Ousmane Dembele of Paris Saint-Germain celebrates scoring a goal.
In the 38th minute, Desire Doue collected possession outside Barcelona’s penalty area and unleashed an unstoppable drive past Garcia to open the scoring, demonstrating that PSG’s frontline possesses immense collective depth beyond any single individual.
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As of now, the full extent of Ousmane Dembele’s injury and his expected recovery timeline remain unconfirmed. However, manager Luis Enrique is anticipated to exercise extreme caution to avoid exacerbating any muscular damage, leaning on Ferran Torres to fill the vacancy on the right wing.
