Paris Saint-Germain forward Ousmane Dembélé is making scoring look so easy when for so long it proved elusive.
Dembélé is piling up the goals in a career-best season that has seen him silence critics who pointed to his wasteful finishing over the years.
He made it 23 so far this campaign with two goals in PSG's 3-0 victory at Brest in the first leg of their Champions League playoff on Tuesday. That's already nine more goals than his previous best tally of 14 with Barcelona in 2018-19.
“The team is in a good dynamic. Everyone is focused and playing really well and that helps me to score goals if I am in the right positions," Dembélé said. “The players, whether it’s Bradley Barcola, Désiré Doué or Kvara (Khvicha Kvaratskhelia), give me great service.”
Although Dembélé played down his own importance, he has scored in 10 straight games for PSG and is clearly now the team's leading player since Kylian Mbappé's offseason departure to Real Madrid.
“We are delighted that he is playing like this," Vitinha said. "We hope he continues as long as possible. It is a very big help for the team.”
Dembélé's first goal came in the 45th minute. Running onto a pass from Achraf Hakimi, Dembélé sprinted down the right wing and, with the defense backing off, curled a shot inside the near post.
Earlier, it was his shot which led to PSG's opening goal in the 21st minute, which came after midfielder Pierre Lees-Melou handled Dembélé’s shot and Vitinha scored from the ensuing penalty.
The 27-year-old Dembélé showed a poacher's instinct for his second goal midway through the second half, latching onto a loose ball and bursting into the penalty area before clipping a shot into the left corner.
The France international has two hat tricks this season, including one against Brest in a 5-2 win when the sides met in the French league recently. He has netted six goals in the Champions League, four with his right foot and two with his left.
PSG coach Luis Enrique said he is imposing no limits on how good Dembélé can become as a scorer.
“Those of us who know Ousmane and see him train, right now we see he is full of confidence,” Enrique said. “He was already good in 2024 and in 2025 he is even better. It is a pleasure for me when you have so many players who are full of confidence.” ___
AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Jerome Pugmire, The Associated Press
