Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich are facing off in France for Matchday 4 of the group stage of the 2025–26 UEFA Champions League. Things didn’t start well for the defending champions, as the visitors took an early lead — and soon after, Ousmane Dembele had to leave the field because of an apparent injury.
Just 25 minutes into the first half, head coach Luis Enrique was forced to make his first substitution of the match, with Dembele replaced by Kang-in Lee due to physical discomfort. While the extent of the injury remains unclear, the fact that the reigning Ballon d’Or winner went straight to the locker room instead of joining his teammates on the bench was a concerning sign.
The bad news started early for Paris Saint-Germain, as just three minutes in, Luis Diaz opened the scoring for Bayern Munich, capitalizing on a rebound inside the box after a save from Lucas Chevalier on Michael Olise.
In the 24th minute, Ousmane Dembele appeared to have scored the equalizer for the French side after pouncing on a loose ball inside the box and finishing neatly. However, a VAR review ruled the goal out for offside, restoring the visitors’ lead on the scoreboard.
PSG barely had time to respond before receiving another blow with Dembele’s injury. Trailing on the scoreboard and without their best player, they struggled to find a reaction — and things got even worse in the 32nd minute, when Marquinhos made a shocking mistake in possession, allowing Diaz to steal the ball and score his second of the match to make it 2–0.
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Dembele’s physical struggles
In the previous season, Ousmane Dembele delivered the best performances of his professional career. He combined excellent physical condition with a consistently high level of play throughout the year, leading Paris Saint-Germain to the UEFA Champions League title and standing out individually to the point of winning the Ballon d’Or.
However, all those positive signs seem to have faded in the current campaign. During the September international break, Dembele suffered a hamstring injury after playing the second half against Ukraine in the World Cup qualifiers with France. That setback cost him a long recovery period — more than 40 days passed before he was able to play an official match again.
The French winger made his return to action on October 21, featuring for a few minutes against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League. He then gained minutes in three Ligue 1 matches, during which he seemed to be regaining his best physical form. However, the injury he suffered on Tuesday against Bayern Munich represents a serious setback for both Ousmane and PSG, who will likely have to manage without him for a considerable period.
More problems for PSG
On top of Dembele’s injury and a two-goal deficit on the scoreboard, Paris Saint-Germain received another piece of bad news in the closing minutes of the first half. Luis Diaz committed a violent foul on Achraf Hakimi, which led to the Colombian winger being sent off — a harsh twist for Bayern Munich’s hero, who had already scored twice.
However, what could have been a major turning point — with the opposing side down to ten men and an entire second half to play — quickly turned into a serious concern. Hakimi was unable to continue due to the impact of the challenge, forcing Luis Enrique to replace him with Senny Mayulu. In a matter of minutes, PSG lost both Dembele and Hakimi to injury — two of their most important players.
