Dembélé fires PSG six points clear
Match Reports
Ousmane Dembélé scored the match's only goal after just four minutes, giving Paris Saint-Germain another win, 1-0 over Racing Club de Lens, to move six points clear at the top of the Ligue 1 McDonald's table on Saturday afternoon.
Confident from the start
Playing what was essentially a first-choice lineup at the Parc des Princes, PSG manager Luis Enrique was taking no chances as only Warren Zaïre-Emery and Gianluigi Donnarumma were left out. For the visitors, without the suspended Facundo Medina, Abdukodir Kushanov would start in central defence, with Malang Sarr left on the bench.
PSG wasted no time in getting forward, with league-leading scorer Bradley Barcola galloping down the left and cleverly finding Dembélé with a low cross with just four minutes on the clock. Ten minutes later, the Frenchman almost had a double, hitting the post from close range after Brice Samba had saved from Fabian Ruiz. Lens responded by pushing higher up the pitch, but the effect only served to tighten the game before halftime.
PSG remain undefeated in Ligue 1 🔴🔵🔝 pic.twitter.com/Oj47LivC0Y
— Ligue 1 English (@Ligue1_ENG) November 2, 2024
Racing finish with ten men
Both managers chopped and changed as they sought to take the lead, but the match would ultimately turning on Kusanov being sent off just before the hour for a late foul on Achraf Hakimi, all but eliminating Lens' chance of getting a foothold in the game. From there, the result was something of a procession for the leaders, who will have been eager to navigate another big fixture successfully after last weekend's win over Marseille.
With the win safely in hand, Luis Enrique and his charges will now turn their attention to the UEFA Champions League, where they'll look to climb the table against Atlético de Madrid on Wednesday at the Parc des Princes. Next up in the league, in their final match before the international break, they'll take on an Angers side who have hit form with a four-match unbeaten run. As for Racing Club de Lens, they'll look to brush off what was a second consecutive defeat, following that in the Derby du Nord last week, as they welcome FC Nantes on Saturday evening.
THe stat
Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembélé have scored 13 of PSG's 31 goals, a total of 41%
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