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Paris Saint Germain
Paris Saint Germain has suffered a double injury blow ahead of the Champions League start with Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue both ruled out for weeks. Dembele will be sidelined for up to six weeks with a hamstring injury, PSG said Saturday. Doue will be out for around four weeks with a calf strain, the Champions League winner confirmed. Dembele limped off the field in France's World Cup qualifying match against Ukraine on Friday, with Doue also injured in the game. PSG said Dembele had sustained a serious injury to his right hamstring. Doue strained his right calf. The injuries come less than two weeks before PSG begins the defense of its Champions League title against Atalanta on Sept. 17. The French champion goes to Barcelona, Dembele's former club, two weeks later on Oct. 1.
Joao Neves scored a spectacular hat trick as Paris Saint-Germain beat host Toulouse 6-3 in the French league, and home fans at Lorient vs. Lille got a second-half shock. PSG stayed perfect to top the league with its third straight win and this time with plenty of goals. PSG had begun its title defense with an unconvincing 1-0 win at Nantes, followed by edging Angers 1-0 in its first home game in Ligue 1. Neves was the standout performer Saturday with the Portugal midfielder's hat trick including a stunning overhead kick in the seventh minute, another acrobatic strike in the 14th and a powerful shot into the top corner in the 77th. Ousmane Dembl scored twice from the penalty spot. Bradley Barcola also scored for PSG. PSG tops the league, two points ahead of second-placed Lille. Ballistic button ========= There were no goals in the first half of the match between Lorient and Lille and eight after the interval. Lille pressed the ballistic button to score five late goals in its 7
Paris Saint-Germain supporters displayed a banner saying "Stop genocide in Gaza" during the Champions League final on Saturday. They raised it shortly after Achraf Hakimi opened the scoring in a 5-0 rout of his former side Inter Milan. Some PSG fans also held Palestinian scarves and flags during the game. PSG fans are known for their stance against the war in Gaza. They previously displayed a giant banner saying "Free Palestine" in November during the Champions League match against Atltico Madrid. The latest banner was likely to lead to disquiet among local authorities in Munich. Munich's city hall displays an Israeli flag as well as a Ukrainian one, and German support for Israel is strong for historical reasons. PSG could also face a fine. UEFA bans the use of gestures, words, objects or any other means to transmit a provocative message that is judged not fit for a sports event, particularly provocative messages that are of a political, ideological, religious or offensive nature.
Gianluigi Donnarumma was hailed as the world's best goalkeeper by Paris Saint-Germain coach Luis Enrique after his saves helped the French club reach the Champions League semifinal against Arsenal. However, for all of his shot-stopping ability, Donnarumma remains alarmingly vulnerable on set pieces and corners areas which just happen to be Arsenal's major strongpoint. The sides meet on Tuesday in London in the first leg of their semifinal, where Donnarumma will be in the spotlight. His blunders cost PSG when it lost 2-0 at Arsenal early into the league phase. Two weeks ago, the 26-year-old Italian made great saves with his team under pressure against Aston Villa in the quarterfinal return leg. PSG emerged 5-4 winners on aggregate thanks in large part to their goalkeeper. Donnarumma has proved to be outstanding on his line thanks to remarkable speed and agility. He starred in a penalty shootout when Italy won the European Championship in 2021 and did so again when PSG eliminated .
The one-sided Ligue 1 title race ended with a whimper, but the chase for Champions League places promises to be an intense sprint finish in France. With at least six teams still in contention and six games left, this weekend's matches could shake up the standings. The top three get an automatic spot and the side in fourth enters the qualifying rounds. French champion Paris Saint-Germain has secured one of the spots, leaving three. Only five points separate second-placed Marseille from Lille in seventh spot, while Monaco can leapfrog Marseille into second place if it wins their encounter on Saturday. But if Monaco fails to win at Stade Louis II, then Strasbourg will move into third place with a home win on Saturday against Nice, which is sixth and in poor form following three defeats in the last four games. That has opened the door for resurgent Lyon in fifth place. Should Monaco and Strasbourg both lose, then seven-time French champion Lyon would move into third with a win at Aux
A French campaign group has called on the country's authorities to punish homophobic and racist chanting after the biggest match in the league between Paris Saint-Germain and Marseille was marred by discriminatory singing. The abuse tarnished PSG's 3-1 win over its bitter rival in what is known as "Le Classique", and again highlighted soccer's inability to properly deal with the issue. French referees have the power to stop play if fans chant homophobic and racist slurs in stadiums. But Sunday's match at the Parc des Princes was not paused by referee Clment Turpin who is considered one of the best in Europe despite repeated incidents. The Rouge Direct group called on Monday for the ministers of sport, interior and justice, as well as officials from the French soccer federation and league, to ensure that these illegal chants are finally severely punished. The group posted footage on social media in which hardcore PSG fans can be heard chanting and shouting insults at Marseille. Th
Luis Enrique credits Pep Guardiola with inventing arguably the perfect model of attacking soccer. He must now outwit him when Paris Saint-Germain faces Manchester City in the Champions League on Wednesday, in a match both teams must win to avoid the prospect of early elimination in the new-look format. It's a special game. Not just for the two teams but because I will come across a friend who I shared many great moments with as a player and a person, Enrique said on Tuesday through a translator. What brings us closer is our vision of football: To try and be better than the opponent on the ball, to constantly press the opponent. We can fine-tune our game but we have a similar way of seeing things. Guardiola rose to fame as a coach during a glory era for Barcelona, winning the Champions League twice and multiple other trophies. Guardiola's sides hypnotized opponents with a pulsating brand of attacking soccer led by Lionel Messi that was the envy of Europe. Guardiola then turned City
Ousmane Dembl scored a stoppage-time winner as Paris Saint-Germain beat Monaco 1-0 to win the Champions Trophy. The France winger was unmarked at the back post to meet a low cross from the left by Fabian Ruiz in the second minute of added time on Sunday. PSG won the trophy, also known as the French Super Cup, for the third straight time and a record-extending 13th overall. PSG won the league and cup double last season, with Monaco finishing second in the league. The result reflects our domination, PSG coach Luis Enrique said, while Monaco coach Adi Htter conceded PSG played better. A goal in the last minute always feels like a knife in the back, Htter said. PSG deserved to win if we're being honest, they had more chances. The match took place at Stadium 974 in Doha, Qatar, with PSG owned by Qatar-based QSI since 2011. Dsir Dou hit the crossbar early on for PSG and Monaco goalkeeper Philipp Khn made several saves. Monaco improved after the break and hit the post through Eliesse