Paris Saint-Germain secured a 3-1 victory over Strasbourg at the Stade de la Meinau on Saturday, moving to the top of the French Ligue 1 table. According to Asharq Al-Awsat, the visitors trailed early after Giovanni Reyna scored for Strasbourg in the 17th minute, assisted by Gessime Yassine. PSG manager Luis Enrique made eight changes to the starting lineup following a Champions League win against Manchester City, resting several key players ahead of an upcoming match against Barcelona.
Ousmane Dembele, who came off the bench, initially struggled to find his form. The report notes that Dembele missed a penalty in the 72nd minute, which was awarded after a VAR check confirmed a shot had hit an opponent's arm. This marked the third consecutive game in which a different PSG player missed a penalty. Luis Enrique acknowledged the lack of a dedicated penalty specialist, stating that the squad has many players capable of taking them but no single specialist.
Despite the miss, Dembele influenced the second half significantly. He set up Illia Zabarnyi for the equalizer in the 78th minute and then scored himself with five minutes remaining to put PSG ahead. In stoppage time, Dembele helped create the third goal by bringing down a long kick, leading to a sequence involving Ferran Torres and Desire Doue. This result extended PSG's winning streak to six matches across all competitions, including their recent European success.
The victory places PSG at the top of the Ligue 1 standings with 14 points from seven games, edging out Lille and Monaco on goals scored. Asharq Al-Awsat reported that Lille drew 1-1 with Brest, with a goal from Olivier Giroud, while Lens won 3-1 at Troyes. PSG now prepare to host Barcelona, a match Luis Enrique described as a key fixture in their European campaign. The manager emphasized that player rotation is normal, noting that athletes are not machines and will not always perform at their peak level throughout the season.