On Tuesday, Paris Saint-Germain faced Brest at the Stade du Roudourou as part of the Champions League 2024-2025 play-offs. Former Parisian player Antoiné Kombouaré spoke to L’Équipe after the 0-3 victory (video summary Brest/PSG). He talked about the match between the two French teams and the important role played by 27-year-old Ousmane Dembélé in this success.
Kombouaré “For half of the game Brest were on level terms”.
“For a half, Brest were equal to the task, at least in sequences, but were punished by the experience, efficiency and talent of their opponents. The score is hard, very hard for Eric Roy’s team, because we sensed a moment of revolt from the 30th…
Brest had their moments, with two goalposts before the break and Sima’s pass to Pacho, who could probably have taken the ball better on a better pitch. The difference in this first half was efficiency. But the step was too high for Brest, and when PSG play at this level, there’s no match.
Kombouaré: “It doesn’t take much for PSG to score”.
The key man?
Vitinha was omnipresent in midfield, but the player who really hurt, the X factor, was Dembélé. He’s the man of the match, he’s close to a hat-trick. He cooled the stadium down with the second goal. He gives his team confidence, he pulls the opposition defence back.
He is the embodiment of an attack that created chances but scored few in the group phase. Today (Tuesday), it’s the opposite: PSG need very little to score. The second goal wasn’t even a chance yet! The front three (Barcola, Dembélé, Doué) have progressed individually and collectively, because they’re looking for each other on the pitch. In the first half, I remember Barcola’s shot just wide from Doué’s cross: how can you defend against that?”
Brest played a good game, there’s no denying it, but Paris, without being incredible, still deserved its victory. In this David versus Goliath match, we like to think that the “little one” had what it takes to turn the tables, and we like to forget that the “big one” also missed chances and, above all, never really looked in danger.
Dembélé had a good game, statistically speaking at least, and that changes everything for PSG, who have a more-than-affordable comeback against a team who know that the game will be extremely complex. However, we shouldn’t insult soccer, but Paris has a good margin and for Brest, toppling Paris would be an impossible miracle. PSG often score, which means that Brest will certainly have to score more than 4 goals at the Parc des Princes if they are to win. Hard to believe.
