Ousmane Dembélé's injury-time goal gives PSG the Champions Trophy against Monaco in Qatar

Dembélé a libéré les Parisiens. MAXPPP – LP/Fred Dugit

Le Paris SG a remporté le Trophée des champions pour la troisième fois consécutive dimanche 5 janvier à Doha, en s'imposant face à Monaco grâce à un but d'Ousmane Dembélé dans le temps additionnel.

The PSG, sovereign in Ligue 1, has in sight the decisive matches for its future in the Champions League, on January 22 and 29 against Manchester City and in Stuttgart. Dembélé is not always the most exemplary of attackers, between failures in front of the goal and sometimes nonchalant attitude, to the point of causing tensions with Luis Enrique in the first part of the season.

But he has just done a great service to his boss and to the whole PSG, who have long stumbled against a good Monaco, eager to take revenge after the home defeat on December 18 in Ligue 1 (4-2).

Because a PSG defeat in the country of its owner would have looked bad. After the cancellation of the event planned in China, it was Qatar, the 974 stadium and its famous containers that hosted the match. Despite the very attractive prices, the stadium was far from full. The Ultras of the PSG Auteuil stand did not come.

But the Emir of Qatar and FIFA President Gianni Infantino were there. Paris was playing “in its second home”, according to Luis Enrique, and as evidenced by the cheers at each Parisian acceleration.

Battle in the middle

In the first half, PSG returned to their failings of the first half of the season, with significant offensive waste. From the third minute, the lack of responsiveness of Ousmane Dembélé, placed as a false 9, highlighted the absence of Gonçalo Ramos, a real 9, left on the bench.

Désiré Doué, in form before the Christmas holidays, then hit the bar after a clearance error by Monaco goalkeeper Philipp Köhn (9th). And Joao Neves on a great recovery (10th), Ousmane Dembélé twice after breaking through the axis (21st, 23rd) or Lee Kang-in just before half-time lacked precision.

Monaco did not give up with a great battle delivered in midfield. Maghnes Akliouche very much in form tested Gianluigi Donnarumma, who had kept from a clash with Wilfried Singo, during the recent confrontation against Monaco on December 18, an impressive scar. The Italian goalkeeper was nevertheless fit on Sunday and turned in a good copy.

Draft 

The match was nevertheless sometimes messy, and even more so in the second half. This one started rather well with a ball that circulates very quickly from one end of the field to the other and interesting situations galore: a point-blank shot too soft from Ben Seghir (53rd), Doué who commits the same youthful sin on the counterattack that follows, a post from Vanderson on the next one, a tackle from Caio Henrique who blocks Hakimi, in an ideal situation at the six-meter mark, Hakimi who wants to slide the ball near the post but comes up against Köhn…

The Swiss goalkeeper, Majecki's usual replacement injured, almost disgusted the Parisians, since he then checked Ramos at close range, causing a huge shiver in the stands. But the Qatari public was finally able to exult during a victorious overflow from the substitute Fabian Ruiz, who sent a curling cross that narrowly passed in front of Hakimi before being taken despite the tricky rebound by Ousmane Dembélé (90+2).

The Parisian players on the field and the bench rushed to hug him and even the phlegmatic sports advisor Luis Campos, in the technical area, was jumping up and down. Akliouche, for his part, sighed in his distress.