Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, 25, the Paris Saint-Germain winger, delivered the most impressive performance of the evening with a brace against Israel, while Ousmane Dembélé, 28, also a PSG winger, proved decisive for France against Brazil. The evening offered a mixed but rather encouraging result for the PSG players.
Summary of the Parisians’ evening
The big Parisian winner of the evening was clearly Kvaratskhelia. Playing for Georgia, the former Napoli player carried his team with a brace in the draw against Israel, confirming that he can also shine outside of the PSG camp. Dembélé, for his part, didn’t shine as brightly individually, but he was still useful, providing an assist for France’s opening goal against Brazil before being substituted in the 58th minute following the reshuffle caused by Upamecano’s sending-off.
More discreet, Désiré Doué came on in the 66th minute but failed to turn the game around, while Ilya Zabarnyi had a tougher evening, playing the entire match in Ukraine’s defeat against Sweden. The rest of the Parisian squad remained without playing time, compounded by Marquinhos’ absence for Brazil. Ultimately, this international break reflects the current reality of PSG quite well: a deep squad, players capable of performing in very different situations, but also a hierarchy that quickly becomes apparent when matches intensify. On March 26th, Kvaratskhelia was the most incisive, without question.
Brazil/France 1-2
Ousmane Dembélé – Starting the match, he played 58 minutes before being substituted just after Dayot Upamecano’s red card. He was decisive, providing the assist for Kylian Mbappé’s opening goal in the 32nd minute. A solid, useful performance, capable of causing problems in transitions before France’s reorganization. My rating: 7/10
Désiré Doué – A substitute at the start, he came on in the 66th minute for Hugo Ekitike, playing 24 minutes of regulation time plus added time. Not decisive, but he brought energy and even won a useful free kick in the Brazilian half. A well-executed performance in a difficult situation, with France down to ten men. My rating: 5/10
Lucas Hernandez, Warren Zaïre-Emery, Lucas Chevalier, and Marquinhos were involved but did not play.
Ukraine/Sweden 1-3
Ilya Zabarnyi – A starter, he played the entire match. Not decisive, in an overall difficult evening for Ukraine, who were beaten 3-1 with a hat-trick from Viktor Gyökeres. He held his own until the end, but the match mainly highlighted Ukraine’s difficulties in containing Sweden’s runs and power. My rating: 4/10
Georgia/Israel 2-2
Khvicha Kvaratskhelia – Starting and announced as captain for this international break, he played the entire match. And he certainly sent a clear message to the competition: a brace in the 36th and 54th minutes, making him obviously decisive. He carried Georgia before the Israeli comeback. The draw leaves a bitter taste collectively, but individually, it was PSG’s standout performance of the day. My rating: 8/10
